


The Guardian Mother

by LizzyBissy_WAM



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Betrayal, Creepypasta, Dark Fantasy, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Heaven, Heaven & Hell, Hell, Limbo, M/M, Minor Violence, Mystical Creatures, Purgatory, Serial Killers, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Slow To Update, Swearing, War, Weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:02:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 65,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27997965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzyBissy_WAM/pseuds/LizzyBissy_WAM
Summary: Ruby Easterwood, a normal student at a literature university, until her life was changed as she was kidnapped by Slenderman and his 'goons'. Now she is kept under her own will by Slenderman and has to find a way out. During her stay, she discovers many shocking discoveries about her and her family that was never told to her. Now, she's undetermined who tells the truth, the lies and who are allies of Ruby. Can she trust Slenderman? Or should she trust her own gut and mind?
Relationships: Natalie Ouellette | Clockwork/Tobias Erin "Toby" Rogers | Ticci Toby
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5





	1. The First Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!  
> You have stumbled upon the Notes! Nothing much to see here, except that this story won't have a lot of romance, but do contain characters from the fanfic, Creepypasta. That includes some of my own characters, such Ruby Easterwood and other characters.
> 
> Hope you'll like this story and continue reading my story

Ruby woke up to the smell of delicious freshly cooked pancakes coming from the kitchen. She blinked multiple times, adjusting the light stretching all around her room. Ruby yawned, her hand covering her mouth. Ruby felt lazy on a Thursday morning. It was always on a Thursday morning, she didn't know why though. It bugged her. Ruby messed around her short, black messy hair so it would not be messy.

Ruby finally had the strength and energy to finally scampered herself down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. Ruby saw her mother in the kitchen as she sat down on a tall stool and laid her hands on the island counter. Her mother was taller than her just by a few centimetres. Ruby's mother had short, black flowing hair, the same as Ruby but Ruby considered her mother's hair better than hers. Her mother was busy finishing the last pancakes, as she hummed a lullaby. Ruby could not recognize the lullaby, but the rhythm was beautiful. 

"Good morning, mom," Ruby finally spoke up. Her mother turned around and saw her sitting on the kitchen island. Her mother smiled at her and looked back at the pan and replied to Ruby.

"Good morning to you too, darling," her mother picked up a plate with a huge stack of pancakes. Ruby was too hungry and too mesmerised to hear her mother asking a question. Ruby shook her head and look at her mother.

"What did you say?" Ruby said. Her mother placed the plate on the island in between Ruby and her.

"I said," she started. "How did you sleep?" This question always made Ruby feel cheeky about what she would say.

"I slept with my eyes closed, of course," Ruby sarcastically said. She could hear her mother cackle a laugh.

"I'll take that as 'Yes, I slept well'," Her mother placed two plates on the counter, one for Ruby and the other for herself. Ruby could not help but look at her mother and see how happy she looked when Ruby was around.

Ruby never met her father. Ruby's mother told her that he died due to heart problems. That was always felt odd to Ruby. Died due to heart problems? She pushed the thought away. Ruby was more concerned about why her mother did not find herself another lover. Of course, Ruby wanted to make her mother happy, but she always felt like her mother was still holding back, because of her father.

Her mother was astonishingly beautiful and funny as well. Ruby always thought her mother always deserved to be happy, even if her mother was more happy with another man than she was with Ruby. All Ruby wanted was her mother to live her life as well and not always live for Ruby's life. Because sooner or later, Ruby would spread her wings, leave the nest and go find her purpose in life. But that meant leaving her mother, and she didn't quite want to leave her alone. 

"So how are Zach and Erisa?" Her mother asked as she sat opposite Ruby on the other side. Erisa and Zach are her friends since the beginning of middle school. They all went to the same school and immediately became friends. There was also another friend of theirs, but... something happened. It broke Zach and Erisa's friendship. But Ruby is still his friend. 

"They're good," Ruby grabbed the pancake on top of all the other pancakes. "They had gone on a trip to New York and came back last Monday. They had a project to do."

"You think," Her mother started, "They are together now?" They both looked at each other in excitement. Her mother and Ruby knew how Zach acted around Erisa. But Erisa never noticed it, which made Ruby questioned Erisa and her love life. Ruby got her hopes excited.

"It would make sense," Ruby started to ramble on and on as her mother just listened to her and kept smiling and quietly ate the pancakes.

"Do you think so too?" Ruby almost fell off her chair in excitement. Her mother laughed.

"I," She took a while to stop herself from laughing, "I'm not sure. You're going out today with them after University?" Her mother asked.

"Oh yeah," Ruby replied, "Should I call you when I come back home this afternoon?" Ruby continued to eat her pancakes as she listened to her mother.

"No worries. You don't need to," Ruby raised an eyebrow, indicating her confusion. Her mother continued talking, "I may not be back until nine in the evening. This client of mine won't seal the deal and it may take a while to convince him and us to come to an agreement." Her mother explained.

"Oh, okay," Was all Ruby could say, pancakes stuffed into her mouth.

**After University Hours**

She, Erisa and Zach, walked out of school and walked to their favourite cafe. It was not far, but for some reason, they would walk very slow when walking to the cafe. It was a force of habit that they always did.

Ruby didn't have a great time in High School. She struggled in subjects she did not understand, but her mother was there to help her out. However, bullying was never an issue. Ruby managed to pass High School and further went to College and chose to focus on English Literature and Languages.

After College, Ruby got accepted into a University, to her distraught, didn't realize until her mother told her. Turns out her mother knew Ruby wanted to go to University, but couldn't decide which one to go. So when Ruby was in beginning her fourth year of College, her mother had applied her to different schools with the same subjects and topics Ruby did during College. To Ruby's surprise, her friends - Erisa and Zach - had also got accepted into the same University as Ruby would later go into.

So life was going great for the three of them.

As they walked to the cafe, Zach started off with a new topic to talk about, "Have you guys realize that this year, there are so many killings happening everywhere on Earth. It is so strange. And some of them aren't even human killings, or at least, that is what the media said," Zach explained. Erisa and Ruby looked at each other in confusion, then back at Zach.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, "Aren't even human killings?" 

"Well," He got quiet for a while, trying to conjure the correct sentences, "The media said that the victims that were found were unusual. Like a bunch of people just decided to go on a rampage and slaughter so many people. But I doubt that the people who were killed because they had also found claw marks on mostly all of them. Some even had their organs ripped out of their chest. It is such a massacre this year. I wish there was more information about this, but the government seemed to have blocked further data about the whole facade."

Ruby could tell that Erisa hated hearing things like this. It made her timid about her surroundings and everything that bothered her. And then Ruby remembered a certain someone that was part of this. Not all of it, but had turned into... a killer.

Zach saw Ruby's expression on her face and could see right through her. "Sorry, Ruby. We know how close you were to him. I forgot about him." Zach apologized.

"Yeah, sure. You forgot about the one person that actually made you who you are today." Ruby thought.

"No, it's fine." Ruby lied but added more on, "I'm actually going to visit him later on today."

Erisa and Zach looked at her with frowns. "You sure that is wise, Ruby? We know you still care about him, but he's changed into a ..." Erisa struggled on the word. Ruby sighed, she was getting irritated with this again.

" _'Psychopath murderous killer'_ ? _"_ Ruby repeated this phrase. Erisa had once said it before and it made Ruby feel hurt about it. But right now, she could not care less anymore.

"Look, he has no one else to talk to during his time there. I have been visiting him since he ended up in prison," Ruby stopped walking, "And I am not going to stop seeing him.",

Erisa and Zach were facing Ruby on her own. Nobody by her side, as she battled her argument. It was true, this guy all three kept mentioning about had done some explicable things; killing, stealing, hijacking and other crimes that he had committed. After years of what he had done, he was finally caught and sent to prison. His sentence was...

The sentence was for life.

But Ruby knew, in her heart, that the boy she used to grow up with was still there. Through all the chaos he's corrupted, there is a broken man just waiting to be saved from all this madness.

Ruby sighed, "So whether you like it or not, I'm going to see him. I might be the only who is actually keeping him sane. So, yes. It is wise."

It was silent. It made Ruby uncomfortable. It was always awkward silent when one or the other made a big debate. Erisa and Zach looked at each and then back at Ruby. Erisa gave a sympathetic expression but smiled at her, in a good way.

"Alright, Ruby. We won't stop you. I know how close you guys are together. But promise me one thing." Erisa walked towards Ruby and stopped right in front of her, "Promise that you won't turn into what Liu is. Promise you won't turn into a killer like Liu, or even worse, his younger brother, Jeffery _."_ One thing is for sure: Jeffery Woods or known as Jeff the killer is not a scary story to scare teens or kids.

He. Is. Real.

He. Is. Alive.

Ruby had met him and even played with him. He knew the Jeffery Woods before... but that was a long time ago. Liu or is known as Homicidal Liu, on the other hand, Ruby was more close to him than Jeff. Ruby smiled at Erisa.

"I promise." Ruby raised her hand to shoulder length and made her hands into a ball, except her pinky. Ruby was gonna pinky promise to Erisa. Erisa chuckled a little laugh and did the same actions as Ruby.

They continued walking, Ruby listening to Zach and Erisa as they both explained their trip to Ruby in New York. And then both Erisa and Zach talked to each as Ruby felt a vibration on her phone. It was her mom, reminding her that she won't be home by nine. As Ruby was on phone, Ruby had accidentally bumped into someone on her right shoulder down her arm.

_{ P-Please! I beg you! I'll do anything! Yes! Anything! No...no no no no no no. }_

_{ Don't Kill Me }_

_The woman lay there. Her back is held a bit up on the kitchen hardware and yet her back is slouching. Her hands and arms, feet and legs are laying as still as a stick; lifeless. The woman had blood gushing out of her stomach quick that blood had already gone onto the kitchen tiles. Her eyes... oh my god... her eyes were grey ... staring right at the figure which is... me. My god... She's dead._

_Did I . . . Did I do this?!_

_{ Did I Kill Her!? }_

Ruby turned around, looking back to see a person. Whoever this was, they were wearing a yellow hoodie that looks like it is too big for this person. It was not even yellow, it was filled with dirt and mud, and the sleeves were cut open. That hoodie looks like it has been in so horrible situations that this person did not even bother to wash it. Their hands seemed to be in the front pockets of the hoodie.

"It's him _..._ " Ruby thought. She was about to open her mouth when she could hear her voice being called out from a far distance behind her: Erisa was calling out for Ruby. Ruby turned to Erisa to see and Zach she was already reaching the corner of the street.

"C'mon!" She could hear Zach saying.

Ruby took one last glance to see that the _man_ was gone. Vanished in a matter of seconds when she was not looking. Did Erisa or Zach not see him either? Who was that man?

No. Ruby knew. This man. She knew him. And yet at the same time, she didn't know him at all. Never seen his face or body. But Ruby knew everything and anything about him, now.

Brian Thomas... Or otherwise called

**_Hoodie_ **


	2. The Plan

Ruby was sitting in the middle of the room, on a table that could occupy two chairs. Ruby sat on one side as the other chair was empty, reserved for her friend: Liu. Ruby knew all about him and his family because Ruby and her mother knew Liu and his family. At least they knew them before they moved to another city. Besides from Erisa and Zach, Ruby considered Liu a very close friend in her life. Ruby and her mother were really close with Liu's family, including Jeff himself, so it was heartbreaking yet horrific to hear about the tragedy after, when Ruby was fifteen. As clear as daylight, Ruby remembered the first time she met Liu's younger brother.

**Ruby's POV**

The first time I met Jeffrey Woods was when I was very young, perhaps around 5 years old. Me and my mom moved into a new house in a new state. Where we had previously stayed became too old to live in and broken down. Luckily, me and my mom weren't in the house at the time so no harm was done, except the house. Currently, we still live there.

I met his parents as we moved in and asked if my mom if I wanted to play with their children, Liu and Jeff, whilst they helped my mom out with moving the boxes inside our 'new' house. Before I knew it, I was playing and talking with Jeff's brother, Liu. I was two years older than Jeff yet Liu was my age which made it easier for me to cope.

Over the years, I got to know Liu and Jeff more. I considered them as a second family, because besides from my mom, I don't have any other relatives. My mom never talked about my dad before, except his death. We'd come to their house and have dinner together sometimes, which was easy because we lived next to each other, and vice versa. We would also go to the same school which was about a ten minute walk. But our parents would normally drop us off for safety measures. 

I can recall a time where me and Liu came walking back from school, exhausted and brain-fried from the tests we had. When we finally reached our houses, the front door of Liu's house swung right open. Jeff had been the one to do this, apparently to make it more dramatic. He came rushing out the house, took me and Liu and forced us inside the house. Although, I had developed a headache after school, I was more concern about Jeff than I was for myself. But then I realised that I shouldn't have, because Jeff had done a terrible mistake and tried to pin it on me and Liu. I walked out of their house and into mine and slept on the couch the rest of the afternoon. 

In summary, I used to consider Jeff as the little brother I never had. He may have been an asshole, mostly, but he was the kind of guy that cared.

But now, I don't know what to think of Jeff... or Liu. My relationship with Liu is complicated, that I don't think Liu cares anymore.

** Narrator **

Ruby could not stop thinking about that man earlier before.

"It was an accident," Ruby muttered but continued to think in her head, "His first kill was his mother. That was the woman I saw in my mind first. Then he was found by a... monster. A Paley, white monster with no facial features on the face. This monster wore a black suit and always seemed to wear it every time Hoodie was around... or _SLENDERMAN_ wears all the time."

Her thoughts were interrupted by the metal sound, hard but hollow, clattering on each other. Ruby looked up seeing a familiar person that she would see every Monday and every Thursday. Ruby met eye contact with Liu. His emerald bright eyes looking at her dark chestnut eyes. As Liu stepped into the sunlight, it revealed more of Liu's appearance. He wore an orange suit which suggested that was what prisoners wear. But besides that, Ruby could recognize something was different from Liu's facial features, his face became completely dirty with muck from the ground. Ruby did not almost perceive him as Liu until she noticed those familiar stitches on Liu's face. Liu had two stitches: One that went horizontally from the middle to above the nose and other stitch was at both ends of his mouth. They were long stitches, unlike his brother insane smile. Liu had told Ruby that he had gotten those when Jeff had tried to kill him but failed in doing so. His droopy, short brown hair was completely flat. Ruby could remember that Liu used to have smooth flowing hair, but that was before he went to jail. Prison does change how you look.

_They sometimes say your attitude and behaviour as well, but it depends on whether you want to change for the better or the worse. It is yours to decide._

Ruby stood up as Liu walked up to her. Whenever they both see each other again, they would hug each other. They had been doing this for almost six years. Liu had been in prison for six years. The reason he never escaped was security in the facility was heavily executed. It was practically impossible to escape without having guards not on guard for at least 1 second. The only time where they aren't guarding is when prisoners are in their cells. But even then, their cells have no windows to show day or night and their source of light would be the light underneath the door. There were no bars instead, they had replaced those with concrete doors and walls. When food was served, they would get plastic spoons and forks, and even with those cutleries, it could not make a scratch on the walls of the prisoner's cell room.

"Hey there, Liu." Ruby began as she gave Liu a hug, her arms flung behind his back as her hands lay on her shoulders.

"Good to see you, Ruru." He hugged her back, wrapping his arms around Ruby's waist. Liu knew that Ruby would blush in a matter of seconds when he said that nickname. Ruby pulled away from Liu and gave a frown to him, satisfied with his results. He chuckled as he moved away from her and they both sat on the chairs and greeted each other furthermore.

"I see you changed your appearance. What is going with that?" Ruby teased.

"Oh, you know," Liu started, "They let me out of my cell for once. But in the end, I had to choose," Ruby raised an eyebrow. "They either keep it like this," Liu gestured his face, "Or wash it with my urine, and I am not even being funny here."

Ruby let out a little giggle and said, "I can tell."

As Liu explained something to her, Ruby spaced out. She could not help but think about the man or Hoodie again. Ruby did not mean to not pay attention to Liu, but Ruby needed to know more. She was looking through this Hoodie's memories until she came across an interesting one. It was a recent memory. As she watched, her heart sank as Ruby listened and view what was happening before. Hoodie and a man - presumably called Masky - were talking about a plan.

A plan to kidnap a girl: Who went to the same University as her. Who lived in the same neighbourhood as her... But Ruby did not want to admit it. She could not admit the girl's name. She could not admit. Because the girl was **HER**

"Ruby?" Ruby snapped herself back to reality when she heard her voice being said by Liu. She looked into Liu's eyes and saw curiosity in his eyes. "Something the matter? You don't seem like you are paying much attention." Liu said.

"Sorry," Ruby hesitated, her arms on the table now. Ruby's head was down and she had completely gone silent. This made Liu aware of her behaviour. Liu knew that expression before. Ruby was in distraught. He stood and well as his chair. Ruby saw this and watched him walked beside her and sat back down again; The same chair but different position.

** Liu's POV **

As I place my chair back, I sat down and immediately placed both my hands on her hands and I held them in my hands. Her hands were soft and delicate. It's been so long since I have felt her hands again that I have forgotten how it feels like. Wait why am I thinking about this?

I look at her, I can see my actions surprised her. But moreover, I could see the tears in her eyes. Is she about to cry? She is about to cry. My Ruby is about to cry. I could feel a part of me shut down. The other part wanted why.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," I start speaking, but I feel like I should have not started like that. "You did nothing wrong." Ruby looked so lost in my eyes. Those eyes...

"I can tell something is wrong," I started again, "You are about to tear up. Is it something that I said or something I did?" Honestly, I don't know what I am saying. I can't help but feel like it is my fault. I just wanna help Ruby. I admit: I've fallen for her. We have been friends since the beginning of we were five years old and we stuck by each other. Soon, I started developing feelings for her when I turned thirteen. I guess it finally came to my attention to how beautiful and funny my Ruby really was. For god's sakes, thinking about her makes my heart so many beats.

_Well looks like someone has been love struck._

Shut the fuck up Sully.

_Fine, fine... I'll let you off the hook._

Since when? 

...

Sully? Oh, whatever.

"No," Ruby quickly said, she sniffed and used one of her hands to wipe away the small tears on her eyes.

Ruby looked back at me. "You didn't do anything, Liu. I just... I-I." I have never seen her stutter before. She kept stuttering and I could not handle it anymore. I quietly shushed her, and something happened where my body would not cooperate with my mind. It's like it just did what it pleasured. Both of my hands were cupping her face. Ruby calm down, her hands lay perfectly on her hands. What the fuck is wrong with me?!

_Ha, your welcome._

YOU SON OF A BITCH!

"First take a breath in and out, do it with me," I inhaled as I watched her do the same as me. And then we both exhaled through our mouths.

I smiled at her. "Now take it slowly." I should really become a psychiatrist.I am good at this stuff. Ruby looked at her sorrowful eyes.

"I..." She sighed, "I think I am going to get kidnapped tonight."

Ruby does not joke like this. She never jokes about something like this. Ruby is not laughing or giving a happy smile.

_Holy shit..._

Yeah... She's not lying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!  
> You have stumbled upon the Notes! Nothing much to see here, except that this story won't have a lot of romance, but do contain characters from the fanfic, Creepypasta. That includes some of my own characters, such Ruby Easterwood and other characters.
> 
> Hope you'll like this story and continue reading my story


	3. The Dream

Ruby had arrived on the porch of her house. In her left hand, the keys jingled as she slots the key into the door. She twisted it as Ruby pushed the door forward and immediately, closed the door behind her and locked it shut. She looked around before turning her full body. The coast is clear. Ruby let go of the doorknob and checked the watch that wrapped on her left hand.

"5:30..." Ruby murmured. She sighed, her eyes closed. Ruby could not wait that long. She looked back at the memories that belonged to 'Hoodie'. Hoodie's voice and another man's voice: Masky. _"Tonight... You are to kidnap Ruby Easterwood. Be prepared. We do not know what she is capable of."_ Masky's voice echoed in her head. "He didn't say what time exactly. That could be late in the night. Shit." 

_"Does your mother know?"_

_"No, she doesn't. This happened right before I visited you. She won't come back until 9. But I fear they'll come before that, I hope not."_

_"Why don't you call the police?"_

_"I can't. What am I gonna say? That I think I am about to get kidnap? You think they'll believe me?"_

_"It is worth a try."_

_*Sighs* "Liu. I'm scared."_

_..._

_"Me too."_

Ruby took out her phone, dialled 911, and placed it on her ear, waiting for someone to pick up. A second later, the line broke and Ruby got her ready.

"911, what is your emergency?" A woman from the other side spoke.

"Hello, I think I am going to get kidnapped." Ruby blunted said.

"Ma'am, I need to know if you are serious about this. We do not want any-"

Ruby could not take it anymore, "this is not a prank! I am dead serious. I am scared that at any time they'll come. I am scared out of my head that they will just..." At this point, she was frustrated and almost on the verge of crying.

"Ma'am, calm down. I apologize. I will send an officer to your location. What is your address?"

Ruby could not help but feel safer. A police officer will definitely make her feel better about the situation. Ruby gave the address to her and said to the woman on the other side. "Thank you, ma'am."

Ruby had already taken a shower and changed out of her clothes into more comfortable clothes: A blue tank top that matched with grey jogging pants. She had closed all her curtains, Ruby feared of seeing one of... them. Ruby made sure that all doors that lead outside the house were all locked. Same for all accessible windows. Ruby sat on the last steps that lead up to the upstairs. Ruby felt as if she should not do anything whilst waiting for the cops. Plus, all her projects for this upcoming assessments had been done. She had done everything else.

_"Before I decided to visit you, I had bumped into someone by accident. But as we both bumped into each other, I... saw something. Not only something but a lot of things. In my mind, it is like seeing someone's memories. And I think it was. I turned around and I saw a yellow hoodie man, he continued walking and I wanted to say something to him but I was interrupted by Erisa."_

_"Wait, did you say... yellow hoodie man?"_

_"Yes. When I went through his memories his name was Bryan Thomas. But he changed it to Hoodie."_

_..._

_"What? What is it?"_

_"Shit... I have met him before." ***Liu pauses*** "His name is Hoodie. I met him by accident. He is..."_

_"A killer. He killed his mother and a lot of people."_

_"Yes. If he is after you, there may be a chance he'll find you easily and kill you."_

The doorbell rang and the door gave a couple of hard knocks. Ruby stood up and walked quickly to the door. Ruby hesitated, her hand about to unlock the door.

"What if it is not them?" She thought. Ruby looked through the peephole of her door. She saw a man, with a blue polo shirt and black pants.

"Oh thank the universe," Ruby took a breath of relief and unlocked the door.

Ruby opened the door to see the man from the peephole. But something was off about this man. Sure; he wore everything that regulates him as a police officer. But, Ruby was not sure. His mere presence made Ruby feel on edge now that she took more notice.

"Ma'am, are you the one who called the police about a possible kidnap?" The man's voice was raspy and croaky.

"Yes, I am," Ruby answered. The man's hands dropped to his waist before his hands were on his hips. Ruby made some space for the police officer to come in. 

** 8:50pm **

Ruby was having the most splendid day of her whole life. First, the man that bumps into her is about to kidnap her at any moment. Then, the woman from the 911 call does not believe Ruby, almost. But now, her mother had called to her a few minutes ago to tell her she wouldn't be back home until tomorrow, due to the terrible weather occurring outside. It got so bad that the road her mother normally takes to work and back, got blocked by this huge tree.

Ruby hanged up the phone. She was sitting on the couch, her whole mind being on edge. Luckily, the presence of a police officer made her feel safer than being alone.He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where Ruby was.

"May I ask you a few questions, Miss?" The police officer stopped walking and turned to Ruby. He stood still and watched Ruby look up at him.

"Sure," Ruby adjusted her seat position. The man sat on a different couch that was next to the couch Ruby sat on. He placed his elbow on his upper legs and his hands were clasped together. 

"So, if I am correct with the information that was given to me, you think you are going to be kidnapped tonight?" The police officer needed confirmation. Ruby nodded.

So the police officer continued, "and exactly how do you know that this will happen? Not to offend you, but it has been more than 4 hours and nothing has happened yet. I am starting to suspect that there is no kidnapping and this is all a hoax."

Ruby knew that this 'police officer' would ask. Ruby sighed and decided to tell the truth. "Sir, I..." Ruby stopped to think for a while.

She could not look at the police officer and looked at the ground. "Something happened before I called the police officer. I was walking and I had bumped into someone on accident. But as we both bumped into each other, I saw... things. O-Or I think they were memories."

"Memories? Of yours?" The police officer scoffed.

"No. Of someone else's," Ruby continued, but this time she looked at the police officer. Ruby wanted to be serious about what she was saying and not some teenage prank even though she was no teenager. "And it was strange to see his memories because I know everything about him now."

"Alright, then. What is his name?" The officer was testing her. Ruby figured this would happen.

"His name is Bryan Thomas, but these days he calls himself Hoodie," Ruby answered quickly. "He had an older brother and a mother. Bryan Thomas was blamed as the one who killed his older brother but he did not. But back then, Bryan was considered guilty because the day his older brother was murdered, Bryan had gone missing. Bryan knew he could not go back and fight for his innocence so he stayed away from society," Ruby explained. Ruby finally looked at the police officer. He looked lost for words. And he was. He opened his mouth to say something but... nothing.

"I... am astonished." He added more, "I knew about the Bryan Thomas case and thought it was always him..." He sighed as his head dropped down. Ruby could see something was wrong. It was like he knew more than what he was offering to Ruby.

"Is this a big deal to you?" Ruby asked.

The officer took a while to look back at Ruby. He looked at her for a while until he spoke up. "I was the one who led the investigation of the murder of Bryan's older brother. I was the one who suspected and announced that Bryan was the one who killed his brother. I... I hope you understand that before I felt pressured to make a quick decision. The investigation had gone on for far too long because of the lack of evidence and the disappearance of Bryan Thomas. I had to make a decision."

"I can understand your decision. But in doing so, you made Bryan guilty which till this day, he is not found," Ruby finished him off. Ruby's brain had worked something.

"It was you." Ruby looked so focused on what she was saying. But the officer was confused.

"I beg your pardon?" He jerked his head back as he blinked.

"If you had not made your decision, or at least conduct Bryan to be innocent, he would've had a normal life," Ruby accused. "But because of your actions, he went into hiding. Besides from making himself look guilty, why do you think he disappeared?" Ruby knew this by looking through the memories of Bryan/Hoodie. Hoodie felt alone and afraid that day. He was frightened to go to JDC (Juvenile Detention Centre). Let alone, have his mother be anxious about one of her sons died and the other in jail.

"If that was what he was trying to tell us, why did he kill his own mother?" The officer was stern and sharp. Now, both were battling each other, one fighting for Hoodie's innocent, and the other still seeing Hoodie guilty.

Ruby huffed her breath out. It came out short. "Because of you again. If you saw him indeed as a killer, then he turned into a killer. Not because he was crazy. He had no choice. You were the ones who made him a killer."

Both of them were silent. Time had skipped on too quick for them to realize. They had both given their arguments of Hoodie but it was obvious Ruby had won over the argument. It was true; Hoodie was forced to leave his old life, but the only reason Hoodie turned into a killer was because of the police... and society.

Their silence spoke more than words after that. Ruby and the police officer stopped talking and proceeded with other business. He went upstairs as Ruby started to get tired downstairs. Her eyes began to be droopy and she kept yawning every now and then. Ruby looked at her phone and saw it was past 10 in the evening. Still nothing... Ruby had not seen any signs of any weird or ominous.

No Hoodie.

No Masky.

No... Slenderman.

Even just saying of one of their names gave Ruby a chill down her spine. But that is only because all the windows in the house were closed off from the outside. Ruby tempted to open the curtains. Just a peep. But she restrained herself from curiosity. Ruby, still on the couch, repositioned herself in a lying position. She lay on her left side as her left ear was covered by the pillow.

"I'll just sleep here," she thought to herself. Ruby stared blankly at the black TV screen until her vision became blurry and faded into a dark-pitch of nothingness. The sound around her was quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Maybe even two. But as Ruby dosed off in her sleep, she could not help but hear a soft word coming from her right ear, as if someone was gently whispering it. It was not any voice. It was... _hers_

_I open my eyes. I stand in a field filled with crops. It is everywhere except where I stand. Where I stand, there is nothing but wet dirt on the circle ground. I shift my head up to feel the breeze carrying along from the left. My short hair follows the wind patterns. Wow. Look at the crops. It goes on forever. Everywhere I turned the crops kept ongoing. But then I noticed the sky. The sky looked gloomy. It's a saying that Jesus is upset. And when he cries, his tears are the raindrops that come out of the sky. Luckily, he is not crying. But, I guess he feels down about something._

_Huh? I stopped looking at the sky and down to the millions of crops. A woman... There is a woman standing not far away from me. She had mixed brunette and blonde hair. But her hair was long, so I could not see a thing as she was facing the other way. But because of her hair, I already recognized who it that is._

_I called out her name, loud enough so she could hear. But she did not react. Maybe she did not hear me. I called out again, but this time my voice was louder. What shocked me most was my voice became an echo. My voice kept projecting itself. My voice did not seem to fade away. It kept saying her name every 2 seconds. This time I decided to walk to her._

_As I took my first step... I did not move. I did not MOVE at ALL. I gave myself a confused expression as I stared down at my legs. I took another step, but my legs did not seem to cooperate with the ground. It was like going a running machine: Moving but not going anywhere. With another step and another, I began to go faster and faster. It got to the point where I was sprinting. What the actual fuck...? I began to panic as I called out her name one more time..._

_"ERISA!"_

_Erisa turned around immediately, but her head only. Her body was facing the other way. Oh, my skirting freaks... Her appearance gave me a shock. Both of her eyes were no longer blue. Those electric ocean eyes were gone. Her eyelids were completely black as if someone took her eyeballs out. Both of her pupils glowed in a dark forest-green colour. But what even shocked me the most was her tears. I didn't even recognise her tears until I realised they were not even tears. They were black liquids coming out of eyes. They looked like washed mascara but even terrifying._

_I gasped as I tripped, suddenly falling forwards; Quicker than I anticipated whilst my hands trying to break my fall. But instead of hitting the hard dirt ground, I felt... really cold and wet. I kept my eyes closed feeling the gush of - what seems to be - water, quickly taking every bit of my exposed skin unexposed. My body had curled into a small ball but unloosened as the little currents unfolded my fetal position. I opened my eyes and in surprise, I saw a woman. It was not Erisa. This woman had short black hair. The same as me but more flowing. It flowed more accurate with the water. Her eyes were wide as if I was the one she was searching for. But then I realized who she was when she spoke. Through the water that she and I were under, I could hear her voice precisely._

_"Wake up..."_

_..._

_Mom_


	4. Kidnapped

Ruby woke up, breaking her cold sweat. Her breathing was heavy, repeating every 2 seconds. Her eyes were in a panic. Ruby messed around with her hair as it started to cover her eyes. She shuffled on the couch, trying to calm herself from what she just dreamt of. Ruby was not underwater, that was she concluded. Now, Ruby's heavy breathing began to fade softer. She had found herself calm. She took a sigh of relief and gradually closed and opened her eyes.

Ruby was still at home. All the lights had been turned off, so the entire house was in complete darkness. She was confused. Before she went to sleep, she was sure that some of the lights were turned on. But then Ruby started to think that the police officer just turned them off. But she argued with herself again.

"Why would the police officer turn all the lights off, when he can barely see a thing?" She thought to herself. Something was not adding up. Ruby examined the living room very slowly, scanning from left to right.

It was not until Ruby saw the police officer - hunch back on the couch next to her, all covered in red, as the police officer's head looked up to the ceiling - She gasped at the horrid sight Ruby discovered. The police officer that protected her for almost 7 hours, was now lying dead on her couch. Bloodstained his shirt, tremendously. Ruby wanted to scream but she could not find it in her to scream at all. Her vocal cords just stopped. She jolted back, almost falling off the couch. Ruby got up and walked backwards, her eyes still staring at the lifeless policeman. She covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide.

**· Run ·**

Ruby lost eye contact with the dead police officer and darted to the front door. But she could not even make one step before she saw a long dark silhouette. The silhouette gestured of a tall man. Ruby could not see the features of the man, but Ruby knew he was a man. The man stood still, blocking her path to the front door.

Ruby stepped away, immediately regretting it, as she could feel someone covering her mouth with a cloth. Someone wrapped their arm around her stomach along with her arms and hands so she could not move or break free. Before Ruby could even realize what was happening, her vision began to fade away. Her surroundings became numb. Her actions became slow and depressant. It was only a matter of seconds before she fell to the floor, unconscious. But before Ruby had lost all conscious, she could hear a whisper in her ear. It was the a three word sentence, however she never hoped nor prayed to ever hear those words... or his voice.

_"Go to sleep..."_

**· They have successfully kidnap you ·**

_"Ruby. Ruuuuuuby?" I could hear my name being called out in a sweet soft voice. I opened my eyes, flustered for a while. I was... sitting on my heel position, my hands placed perfectly on my legs. My head had been bowing down to the floor. The floor was painted in red lines colour with white squares. But it did paint the entire floor. I can see that I am on top of a picnic blanket. I looked up, facing again a beautiful woman: My mother. Her hair danced to the rhythm of the wind blowing on her face. Her smile was so pretty._

_"M-Mom?" I murmured. I blinked a few times before I looked away from her. Where are we? Then I recognize where we are: We're back again here. I'm dreaming again._

_The never-ending crop field._

_The field looks the same... I think. Well, I could not see because of the tall crops. But the sky was still the same: All gloomy and sad. I'm surprised it has not rained yet._

_I look back at my mom and I saw her stressed face. "Is there something wrong?" I asked her. She sees that I can see through her. Her eyes look away, looking away from me as she takes a loud breath out. My mom looks back at me and this time, her face looks serious. I can't read her anymore. And it scares me._

_"Where are you?" She said._

_"I'm at home, of course," I said._

_"Are you sure?" She asked. I was about to assure her, but then I remember what just recently happened. My eyes reverted back to the blanket, my eyes widen in realization._

_"No...no no no no," I muttered, but my mom noticed. I put my hands on the side of my head in distress. My nightmare... My willing hope... My weak desire had become true. Hoodie... his 'gang' had somehow kidnapped me. I clutched my head more firm as my hands made its way to my eyes. I covered them because I started to cry. I did not make a sound, because I could not._

_I felt a soft delicate hand, trying to cup my cheeks. I uncovered my eyes, my tears rolling down my cheeks and onto my mom's hands. I couldn't tell what my mom was thinking. She had become harder to read her mind._

_"Listen Ruby." She began. She was more close to me. "Out of any circumstances, do not believe them. You hear me?" Her voice seemed threatening but at the same time: In pain._

_"M-Mom?" I stutter, "Wha-What's going on? Who are these people?" I kept looking at her._

_"I'm not sure what is currently happening. But I do know who these people are," My mom looked back at me, "Please, Ruby. Do not believe nor trust them. Anything they say, it's all a lie. Can you promise me?" I hate promises, especially if it is to my mom. Because I hate that I might break that promise to someone who I care the most._

_"I promise." But though I hate promises, I care more for my mom that silly excuses. So... I promise you, mom. I will never believe them nor trust anything they say or do._

_Even though you are not telling me the things that I should know.  
_   
  


** Jeff's POV **

Ruby slept soundlessly in Hoodie's hands.

Man, I have not seen her in such a long time. The last time I saw her was at my parent's funeral, but even that was a long time ago. I couldn't believe I would've been the one to kidnap Ruby Easterwood, my deceased brother's crush. When Slenderman gave us the mission, I was surprised she still lived next to my parent's previous house.

But... I can't help but have this shaking feeling about this whole ordeal. Out of anyone in this fucking world, it had to be her, huh? What does she have that is so important to Slenderman? Or to be specific, everyone that is considered a Creepypasta?

I walked next to Hoodie as Jack led the way back to the mansion. Geez, this weather is terrible. It is so bad that I had fallen too many times that I think I have bruises and scratches, with all the sticks flying around. At this point, I might lose my eyesight if a sharp branch starts to go ballistic towards my eye. This woman better is worth the trip. I got up again, tripping for the 40th time and continued walking in the woods. I can not believe I was forced to go. I never wanted to see Ruby. Never again.

Ruby Easterwood is just another terrible memory from my life before. My life before I turned into what I am today. She was just a shadow in my previous life. About... him. I stared at Ruby. She did not really change anything about her self appearance. Her hair is definitely shorter since the last time I saw her. But that is not something that got me looking at her. I looked at Hoodie and saw he was looking at him. Is Hoodie good?

"Hoodie boy," I started saying, "What's the problem?" He did not look at me, but he seemed to snap out of his mind.

"Nothing." Was what I could hear him say. Pff, what a lie.

"Nothing. Really? Last time you said that you stayed in your room for almost a month." I stated to him. Hoodie did not react to what I had just said. He stayed quiet. Weird. Normally, he would get mad at me and protest but... There is DEFINITELY something wrong with him.

"Ugh, whatever man, " I said, almost hitting a tree that would have smacked me if I did not pay attention. I looked forward trying to see Jack. I could see him, but just barely. For fuck sakes, this fog is terrible.

"Just mind your own business." Hoodie murmured. I shook my head at his little comment. I look back at him. He did not look at me. Now I am more pissed off than I was before with the weather. Hoodie is really being an ass-head right now. Actually, his comment caught me off guard.

Hoodie is normally the quiet man. He doesn't bother anyone and is told what to do by Slender. But now that I think about it, he has never been told what to do by anyone, except Slenderman. Hoodie keeps to himself and mainly talks to Masky. Geez, trying to solve this little investigation of Hoodie gives a lot of quick headaches. Not painful but annoying. Still, a man like him gives off a red flag. But what am I to care? I am only thinking about that Hoodie-boy because of the stupid little comment he lashed out on me? Though, he didn't have to be harsh. I have feelings too, you know?!

I sighed and ignored his comment and continued to walk with Hoodie in silence. God, I hate the silence. The weather is just the cherry on top of this idiotic idiocy. The dreadful cold, the vexatious wind, even the fucking rain is still pouring over us. This will never stop. I breathed in and out; In through the nose, and out through the mouth. I shoved my hands in my pocket and felt the sensational grip of my knife, hidden in my pocket. My trusty knife was always trusty.

That made no sense.

Through the constant rain pouring beyond our heads, I could hear a soft moan sound. The sound of when you wake up, but you just really hate waking up at that certain time. Hoodie stopped immediately, doing nothing but hold onto Ruby. Eyeless Jack heard her, considering his quick movement back to us. I quickly looked at Ruby, stopping beside Hoodie, only to my surprised just held closer onto Hoodie. Then she did nothing, laying her head closer to Hoodie's neck as her hands clutching Hoodie's sweater.  
  


Aww...  
  


And yet  
  


Ew... 

  
I could see in the corner of my eyes, Hoodie tense up. I could see he felt unnerving about the unexpected movement coming from Ruby. I cocked a smirk, trying to contain my laughter at Hoodie. Jack's tension eased, his shoulders dropped a bit.

"Do not worry, Hoodie. She just moved a bit." He added, "Besides, it's very unlikely she'd wake up now. It's strong enough to knock her out for a minimum of 12 hours."

Jack turned around, continued walking the path home. I caught a glimpse of Ruby, then Hoodie. Weird how she looks so calm and peaceful during a kidnapping.

**...**

Since that weird thing that happened, we had walked for another half an hour and still... we were walking in the Fucking rain!! Why does it feel so long to get back to the mansion? We had switched roles about 10 minutes ago. Hoodie led onwards, Jack walked beside me as I carried Ruby. She was unexpectedly light. I don't know why I thought she was heavy to start with. The rain had seemed to get better but was still raining cats and dogs out here. The fog cleared up and was now easier for all of us to navigate.

I glanced at Jack, who was also surprisingly quiet. Man, what is up with people today? He seemed to have his mind spaced out. His head was down, only seeing the side mask he wears every day, and his guard was not on. I could see he was fiddling with something in between his hands. I looked down at his hands and saw what it was. It was that thing from her again. I wonder how she is doing? It's been a while since we all saw her. Let's brew a conversation here.

"So..." I said in my annoying voice, "How is she?"

Jack looked up at me. It's hard to know what he is expressing with that mask of his. I don't know if he is confused or just utterly irritated by my answer. Say something, Damnit!!

"I'm not sure." After 2 minutes of silence, he says THAT? Then he turned his head straight. I expected him to continue on but Jack just stayed quiet after that. Jack must really miss her. I guess she was very close to him. And the other way round.

"Jeff"

A clear whisper tickled my spine upwards. And that is not in a good way. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around, scanning the forest as much as I can.

Nothing.

No sudden movements besides Jack and Hoodie and the rain. Even without the fog, I found it hard to see through the rain, because the water drops would splash onto my eyes. I frowned but continued walking. That voice; their voice was a woman voice. But the only woman or girl here is Ruby and she's-

I stared down, in shock, disbelief, and utter fear. I did not want to but I knew it when I immediately heard that absurd whisper.

My black eyes staring down at those red glowing eyes. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, my front body laying flat on the floor. My mind did not cooperate with my body until I figured out that Ruby had somehow knocked me down to the hard soil.

A forceful grab to my head jerked my body up, where my hoodie once lay on top of and brought my head high up. Seeing Hoodie and Jack in their battle stance, only a few metres away from me and Ruby. I grunted quietly at the pain she caused me. My entire body was bending backwards. 

Shit, it hurts a lot that I thought my spine was going to snap right there and then. Ruby dug her hand very deeply onto my scalp, my head locked onto her hand. And as Ruby did that, she placed her fucking weight onto her leg, that she placed on my back.

I could not move. My arms could bend further behind my back. I really need to work out more. Instead, I dug into the pockets of my sweater and wrapped my fingers onto my knife. But when I reached into the pockets, I could not feel that familiar knife of mine. And then I knew.

Something held my breath and body completely still. I was no longer shaking at how unbalanced my body had become. And that something was a cold thin piece of metal just trimming my throat.

"You looking for this?" That voice. It was her.

No, that's incorrect. It IS her. It is Ruby.

My eyes shifted up, trying to see her, but my hair was covering my sight of vision. The only thing I could see was forwards, and that alone, was just Hoodie and Jack standing there doing absolutely nothing.

"I suggest you do not do anything stupid. Otherwise, your little buddy here will have his head beheaded from his body. And I do not think you or your master will be so happy about someone's head beheaded off their body." Ruby cackled.

What the...? How does she know about Slender? Or rather: How much does she know about us?

I winced at the sudden pain on my stomach. But nobody did anything, it had come naturally. How more spectacular this day can get?

"Just do it." Was what I murmured. Loud enough to let Ruby hear. Now I could see more of Ruby. She looked down and that is what made me shudder: Her eyes. Her eyes were now glowing red like Amber.

That's not Ruby.  
That is another fucking soul.

"I dare you." I was now testing this soul's ambitions. I began laughing, making it look like I did not care for my life. Actually, I'm average on life.  
"DO IT!"

"Shut up, will ya?" She quietly said. And then I felt a sharp urging pain growing quickly on my back. I did not even realize that my knife that bitch was holding on my neck had disappeared.  
Shit... This is what happens when you start patronizing people and fails after.  
I collapsed onto the floor; Ruby must've let go of my head. Her leg was finally off my back, but the pain was still there. The pain stretched more and I groaned at it.

Then everything turned black. And I couldn't do anything.


	5. Proper Introduction

_"Welcome to the neighbourhood." My mom and I turned around to see two relatively tall people but were around my mom's height. If not taller._

_It was a woman and a man. Both had brown hair, the woman being a tad lighter. The woman was wearing a long, peach thin coat that dropped down to her knees, which matched with a white shirt and blue jeans. The man wore a grey shirt that came with along with grey jogging pants. But what I really liked about the two of them were that they both matched trainers. They were the same model as well as the colour. They must be siblings._

_"Oh hello. We just moved into the neighbourhood." My mom replied. But because they had nice shoes, doesn't mean I could trust them. I hid behind my mom, clutching the thin jacket in between my fingers. I buried my head on my mom's jacket, but I still watched them._

_My mom reacted to what I did and gave a little laugh, "Sorry about her. She is very shy." She wrapped her hands around the back of my shoulder, but that was all she did. "This is my daughter, Ruby. She is only five years old."_

_"Aww, hello there, Ruby." The woman called out. But to be honest, all she did was just make me hide more behind my mom. The woman and man looked back at my mom. And they continued chatting. They talked for a while. I did not seem to be bothered with what they were saying until the woman said something that caught my attention._

_"Well, we also have kids. Two boys to be exact." I looked up at the woman and man. I guess my mom saw my reaction because she looked down at me. Me and her looked at each other as she smiled at me. All I did was blink at her. I would have said something but for some reason, I did not._

_My mom looked back at them both and said, "That is lovely. What are their names?"_

_"Their names are Liu and Jeffrey. Liu is your daughter's age as Jeffrey is four years old." The man stated._

_"What lovely names your boys have." And then I did not expect my mom to ask, "If it would not be such a bother, would it be possible if my daughter, Ruby, could play with them? Not for long but just for a while." I tugged on my mother's jacket, signalling that I didn't want to meet them. But she did not react to it and continued looking at them both. Did I mention that I was a completely shy and quiet person at that age? The only person I would talk to was my mom. And now, she wants me to interact with other kids?!_

_"Oh no, of course not. Actually, both of our boys are playing at the front lawn." The woman said._

_My mom finally looked down at me and said, "How about that? How about you go play with for a while, sweetie?" She bent her knees down, laying her hands on her lap. I did not hesitate and quickly nodded "NO", many times that I started to feel a bit dizzy._

_She huffed a laugh, again. "Don't worry, sweetie. It will not be long, okay?" She stood up and reached for my hand. I gave her my hand and held it. We walked with the woman and man._

_When we reached the neighbour's front lawn, I could see 2 little boys standing on the lawn, the shorter boy chasing after the taller boy. They were both laughing. They seem to have a lot of fun. When they saw me and my mom, they stopped and looked at us. I walked a bit slower, trying to hide as much as possible. Maybe I should have gone into the house when I had the chance. We stopped on the trimmed grass as the woman and the man walked over to the two boys. I eavesdropped on their conversation, "These are the new neighbours that live next door to us. How about you welcome yourselves to the girl? Your mother and I will be helping her mother with moving boxes into their house." The man explained to the boys as the taller boy nodded his head and said, "Okay, papa." Now both our parents were gone, leaving me with the two boys. I was trembling on my spot. I think the taller boy could see that because he walked up to me which gave me a fright._

_"H-Hey, it's okay." The boy said. His voice was so cheery. "Me and little brother will not hurt you. We are not mean."_

_I said nothing. I mean, he was just a boy. He was my age. But in my head, I thought he was a secret ninja. Okay, not really but still._

_My hands were together, trying not to look so frightened by the boy's presence close to me. Why was he still staring at me? Is there something on my face? Does he think I am weird? AM I WEIRD?!_

_"So, what is your name?" That is when I snapped out of my mind. I blink and was taken aback. I don't know why, but I was surprised. Maybe because he was the first kid to ask me a question? Or maybe... actually I don't have any other questions that could answer my theory._

_Finally, I looked at him and realized he was waiting for me to answer him. "R-Ru-Ruby." I stuttered._

_"Cool name. I like your voice. It's so sweet and adorable." And back again, did I become shy and embarrassed. I covered my face, feeling it slowly growing warm, my eyes shut closed._

_"I-I mean," He quickly said, "I-I didn't me-mean to. You really do have a nice voice." I peaked up at him. He was also nervous. I guess I am not the only one. Now, that I think about it, he has chubby cheeks. Aww, he looks adorable too._

_"Y-You okay?" I asked him. My hands were closed together in front of my body, waiting for him. I guess he looked surprised. Maybe because I said something?_

_"Yeah. I am okay." His hands and arms flopped to his sides as he gave the prettiest smile I have seen from anyone. Well, except for my mom. I admired his smile for a few seconds then returning a smile to him._

_"Oh wow, you have dimples." I looked at him, confused about what he said. What are dimples?_

_"What are dimples?" I asked him._

_"O-Oh." Making an O shape with his mouth, "They are like little circles on your cheeks. It is a bit hard to tell you."_

_And that is how I first met Liu and brother, Jeffrey. Well, I don't consider that the first meet between me and Jeffrey since he just kept sitting on the grass, plucking them out and playing with them._

_But yeah... I guess this was how I and Liu met. We met when we were kids and have been good friends ever since that day. Even when things began to spiral down for Liu and his family, I stuck by his side and kept being his good friend. Even when everyone decided to leave him, I gave Liu company through so many years._

**...**

Tiny bright lights came into view. Ruby squinted her eyes as she became more awake every second. Slowly, Ruby opened her eyes adjusting to the sunlight touching everything that it could reach. She yawned and gradually sat up, the covers falling off her shoulders, laying on her lap as she sat up. Ruby could feel the morning stars in between her eyes. She kept her eyes closed as tried to fix her hair.

Ruby opened her eyes, finally realizing that the bed she lay in was not hers. The room she was inside, was not her room. Everything finally came into clear. She was sleeping in a Queen-size bed, that gave an auburn wooden feeling. The room she was in was not big but felt big because of the large items of furniture, such as the wooden cabinet that was larger than Ruby's bed-door. And there was a solid wooden desk beside the bed that was placed directly under a window that viewed several trees placed side by side. Ruby could not commemorate what happened last night.

"What the heck..." Ruby murmured. Ruby closed her eyes, trying to recollect any piece of memory from last night. Ruby remembered her dream last night of her mom.

And then it hit Ruby. Ruby remembered her waking up to see the dead policeman lying on her couch next to the couch Ruby had slept. She remembered that shadow figure when she stood up. And then passing out in her living room. But Ruby felt a ping sound inside her. Ruby looked up, seeing horrifying images of murders. Ruby gasped at the sudden visions. They would not stop; Ruby began to panic. She started to breath more intensely and her eyes became wide. There was no point in closing her eyes because she would see all of the images and violence more clear. Ruby fidget in her spot on the bed, muttering and stammering words and words.

"Stop please."

"Go away."

"No, don't kill them."

"Leave them alone"

"Please."

**"JEFF STOP! DON'T KILL LIU!"**

"HEY! Stop!" A new voice came into the clearing. It caught Ruby attention. The visions were gone. They faded away and new surroundings came to view. A man, holding her firmly by her upper arm, on top of her. Ruby was kept still, her breathing was still gaspy. Ruby could not see the man's face, all there was to describe the man was his attire. He wore a yellow hoodie over his head with black pants. There was nothing really to describe him, except his brown messy hair sticking out from his hood.

And then Ruby realized who he was,

"Hoodie?" Was all it took for Hoodie to get off of her. Ruby was surprised, she thought she would never meet Hoodie again. But it hit Ruby again. Hoodie was the one who kidnapped her. How could she forget?

It seemed that Hoodie was taken by surprise, considering that both of them have never met each other. But Ruby could not tell what he was expressing; Was it confusion, shock, anger? He stood where Ruby could barely get a glance of him. His hoodie was covering everything that all there was... was a dark black colour.

"How do you know my name?" Hoodie spoke in a dark voice. Ruby kept staring at him. Hoodie's stance was upright and straight. His left hand curled into a ball like he was prepared to fight Ruby. And he was prepared to fight her, considering what happened last night.

Ruby wanted to say something, but what? Ruby could not tell him that she knows everything about Hoodie. EVERYTHING! And why should Ruby tell Hoodie? He was stranger to Ruby, not counting Ruby knowing everything about him. No that is incorrect, it does count. If Ruby did not know what or who Hoodie was, then she would be more naive to trust Hoodie. He was a killer and a murderer. Why should Ruby trust him?

"Why should I tell you? You are the one who kidnapped me? I think you know damn well." Ruby confidently spoke. Both looked at each other. Although they were only staring for a couple of seconds, Ruby felt as if it was all eternity. It was then, Hoodie said something gave Ruby a bit of a shock. Not by his voice, but his words,

"That's bizarre, considering you almost killed two people, last night. Both that I love as my own brothers. I hope you had fun last night. If it was not for my master, I would have killed you in the forest, then and there."

Ruby furrowed my eyebrows. She was confused at what Hoodie meant but brushed it off. She was not letting Hoodie down that easy.

"Really? Do you love them? As family? What about your own mother and older brother?" Ruby hit a nerve. Hoodie walked towards Ruby, ready to punch her. The door slammed wide open, giving another noise as it hit the wall. Someone kicked the door. Nobody could give so much force with hands.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING-" The voice stopped mid-sentence. The voice belonged to a woman. The woman stepped into the room and looked very shocked. But when she saw Ruby, the woman's expression was more surprised than shocked. To Ruby, the woman looked rather familiar. And then, a light ball popped on.

The woman was none other than Jane Todd Richardson. Or in other words; Jane the killer. Ruby could recognize Jane because she was in Jeff's memories. Ruby knew about Jeff killing her family, how Jeff turn Jane's life into a genocidal route. How they both loved and hated each other. And to bring things to the present: They both are neutral with each other.

"My, she is awake." Jane seemed mesmerised. And after all of this, Ruby stayed where she was on the bed. Ruby did not move when Hoodie was about to punch her, not even a flinch. And when Jane saw Hoodie, he stayed completely still. His hand was still towering over Ruby. Finally, Hoodie unclenched his arm away from Ruby and stepped a few steps back.

"Just what were you doing Hoodie?" Jane's voice grew bitter and quieter as the door closed behind her.

As she walked towards Hoodie, he took a step back from Jane and walked passed her. Hoodie reached for the door but Jane stopped him in his path. Ruby just kept sitting on the bed. Jane kept bickering to him as Hoodie said nothing and was just 'listening' to her. But then he started to lash out at Jane until it was obvious that both were getting into an argument. It looked like things were getting uglier.

"I need to get out of here," Ruby thought. She finally snapped out of her senses. Ruby thought this would be a good time to get out of the room through the window. The window was open, letting fragments of what is called air into the room. Ruby slowly moved off the bed to her left, trying to make as little to nothing sound. Both Hoodie and Jane were to busy quarrelling to notice Ruby already at the desk. Ruby kept steady, her head watching them as her body worked on getting through the window. Ruby first placed her right foot on the desk and pulled her other foot, slowly and carefully, on top of the desk. Now she was crouched down on the sturdy wooden desk. Ruby was still watching them both, and both Jane and Hoodie still did not notice Ruby's quiet movements. And before Ruby knew, she had slipped through the window and was now standing on the roof of the house. 

Ruby was crouched down and didn't bother to stand up. She kept vigilant, aware that she was standing on the roof. She looked up, seeing the sky was more clear than yesterday. There were no clouds and the sky was painted light blue, which in terms is called baby blue. Ruby crouched to the edge of the roof and looked down. Ruby gasped in shock. The ground was no lower than 20 feet. Ruby murmured some curse words under her breath.

"Shit, I cannot make that," she thought to herself.

**· Allow me ·**

**· You will live ·**

**· But do not scream ·**

Ruby gasped as her body fell forwards, her foot slipping off the roof, for Ruby to only realize this was it. She was gonna die. This was how she was gonna die.

Her last thoughts; "Goodbye, world. I love you, mom. I am sorry." Ruby could see the memories of her mom and her friends. All those beautiful adventures with her friends and those calm memories with her mom. Ruby did not have time to cry, as everything around was quick. All Ruby could do was close her eyes and wait for death to be laid upon her. Ruby could feel the rush of the air, pushing up but like that was of any help: She still was falling.

Her heart was still pumping quickly. Ruby took a peak with her left eye. And to her awe, Ruby, no broken bones or fractures, lay still on the ground, her back to the ground. Ruby was confused. Was she not falling? Was she not in between 15 feet falling? Ruby sat up immediately, seeing herself, face-to-face, with a gigantic house. It was more of a mansion than a house, to be honest. Though Ruby admired the exterior details on the house, she had to get away quick.

**· Run ·**

**· Jane and Hoodie would have already noticed your departure ·**

Ruby stumbled to her feet and ran straight into the woods. Trying to get further and further away from the house. Ruby had many questions:

Where the hell am I?

What are those things?

Why me?

How in the world did I make that fall?

What is happening to me?

Am I going crazy?

Who keeps saying things when no one is around me?

"RUBY!" Ruby glanced back as she ran further away. Nobody was behind her but she knew her missing presence would not be for long. Ruby knew that voice: Hoodie's voice. Ruby kept running, turning her head back to the forest.

**...**

Ruby did not know where she was going, nor her sense of direction. She only had one objection: To get away from that mansion and those people. The woods were all too similar. All the trees, with twisted branches and different sticks, looked rather the same as all the rest. The soil ground was mixed with dead brown leaves and sticks that have fallen off the trees. Her foot was stealthy but soon became a bit slow and noisy after 25 minutes of running none stop. Luckily, Ruby was fit. She could go on for a long time if she wanted to. But recently, Ruby had not gone and exercise as much as she used to before. Ruby was a bit far in exercising at the moment. But Ruby could still run for another 15 minutes.

**· Stop ·**

Ruby stopped.

"That voice again." Ruby thought. Ruby took a minute to breathe, repeating a slow inhale and exhale. When Ruby finished her breathing exercise, she stood up straight and look up to the sky. The trees and leaves covered the sky, but not entirely. Enough for sunlight to come through and reach the ground. The air around her was still and calm. The temperature was alright for the month of October.

"Who are you?" Ruby breathed out. There was silence for a few seconds. The silence was rather uncomfortable to Ruby. Normally it would be soothing to Ruby. But in times like this, all she wanted was the silence to be interrupted.

**· I am none of your concern. I am only an imagination ·**

"Really? So you're saying I have lost my mind?" Ruby questioned.

**· That is correct. I am not real. You are losing your marbles ·**

"Very likely story. I know you were the one who made me fall off that roof. I don't know how, but I would have died if I did that, myself." Ruby beamed out.

**· But you did. You jumped and landed perfectly. You just took a small break ·**

"I would've remember doing that then. But I don't. Whoever or whatever you are, that was you who broke my fall." I stated

**· You are being delusional ·**

"I AM NOT DELUSIONAL!" Ruby raised her voice as she wailed her arms in the air.

Like a delusional person

Ruby recognized her actions and reconsidered herself.

**· You were saying ·**

"Shut up," Ruby muttered. Ruby could hear a burst of soft laughter filling the silence. Ruby could tell the voice was a woman's voice: Which was oddly unusual. She did not know why though.

**· Alright, I will budge. I did not lie when I said I was not real. But not in this world, I am not. For you see -**

"- Wait," Ruby interrupted the voice. Ruby stayed absolutely still. Her eyes and ears searching for something.

"I swear, I had heard something moving." Ruby thought to herself.

**· They are here · **

Ruby was alert. The rustling of the leaves, scattered in the air. They moved quickly as the leaves flew and back to the ground.

**· Do not just stand there and do nothing. Right now, the best option is to run ·**

Which is exactly what Ruby did. She followed the voice's advice - which was the only advice it gave - and ran in the direction she would, later on, have followed.

Ruby gave a quick glance behind her and saw it. A dog and not just any dog: A vicious dog. A husky whose smile was as wide as Jeff's smile. Its teeth were covered with red stains called blood. And it was not only on his teeth. Blood was smeared on its fur as well, challenging its original grey and white fur.

This husky was running straight towards you, trying to catch up and stop Ruby. And it was succeeding very quickly.

"It is gaining on me." Ruby pointed out the obvious. Ruby could hear the voice saying some sarcastic words. Ruby ignored her comment and was desperately trying to keep distant from the husky. But husky was going to catch in a matter of seconds.

**· Duck ·**

Ruby stopped running and skidded on the floor. Ruby learned that skill from Liu before he went to jail. And then everything seemed to go slower and slower ... and ... slower. Ruby looked up as she continued to slide on the ground and to her astonishment, she saw the husky, hovering above her. Ruby knew it now; If she continued to run, she would have been put down by the husky and probably been its lunch or dinner. Ruby had no words for all of this. As everything went slow motion, Ruby could not help but admire this little scene. Ruby, sliding on the floor and was almost attacked by an unknown husky.

"Well, that goes off my bucket list," Ruby joked in her head.

And then everything went back to its normal speed. Ruby watched the husky stumble onto the floor, face first then body. Ruby wobbled herself up and did not look back at the husky. She sprinted to her left and decided to run in that direction. But again, not another step forward, and she came face-to-face to a familiar person: Hoodie. They both made eye contact - Well, Ruby did as Hoodie wears a mask - which Ruby cut off immediately turned around decided to sprint the other way.

When Ruby turned back, another figure popped from behind another tree. This time, it was a woman. Ruby saw Jane's annoyance in her face. Jane did not look so happy.

**· She looks pissed ·**

Ruby turned to her right, not moving from her spot, seeing more figures coming from behind the trees and some from above. There was not a lot of them, 7 to be specific. It did not take long for Ruby to be surrounded by these people. Ruby could recognize 4 - including Hoodie and Jane - but the other 3 were unknown:

To Hoodie's right, a man with a white mask and black outlines which he wore a yellow tight jacket and black pants. In the man's right hand, he drew a knife and stood a weird position. The man's hair was exposed, his messy brown hair made him look like Liu. But the man was around Ruby's height, maybe even a bit shorter by an inch. Ruby could already recognize the man. His name was _Masky_

Opposite the husky dog - who finally got to its footing and was guarding the path - was a woman, who was shorter than Ruby and wore a delicate yet red stained blue dress that stretched down to her knees, if not shorter. The sleeves on her dress made her look adorable and formal. But her hair was outrageously long, longer than an average length hair. Her black smooth bangs had covered half her face, making it impossible for Ruby to see her eyes. But Ruby did not need to see her eyes, because she knew that this woman was none other than _Lulu._

Less than half of the figures that came out were unknown to Ruby. Mainly because she was not bothered to check through Hoodie and Jeff's memories. They all stood in a circle, trapping Ruby inside. Ruby could not do anything. She watched as all them did nothing, said nothing, probably did not even breathe. Ruby examined them until her eyes lay upon one particular figure who stood out from the rest of the other creatures. Ruby knew exactly who he- it was. The creature was gigantically tall, no human could ever reach that height on average. They had a slim body and their arm were no longer than the length of a giraffe's neck but longer than the length of an average arm. They wore a black suit that covered every bit of their skin, except for the face. But even with their face exposed, there was nothing really to describe except for his white pale skin. They were bold, and to add more information, they had no facial features: No eyes, no mouth, no nose and no ears. This creature was completely blank in expressions or other facial features.

Ruby had already remarked this creature's existence before. But seeing them in the flesh did not make her any less angry. Ruby wanted to punch them for kidnapping her. She never wanted to know that this creature actually existed. And never would she wanted to see this creature ever again in her life. No matter how good they are to others, Ruby was not going to show this creature... this man her kindness. After what this man just did.

NEVER

Ruby did not say anything. Her eyes beamed low towards the creature. The creature looked directly at Ruby and made no effort towards Ruby to trust him. Until he slowly walked out of his position straight towards Ruby. He only took about 2 or 3 steps until he came to a stop, only metres away from Ruby. The man took another step with his right foot and bent his left leg where his knee touched the ground, making the height of him shorter.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," the man held out a hand in front of Ruby. Ruby looked at his hand. Nothing special as it looked the same any other human hand except paler,

_"Ruby Easterwood."_

Ruby looked up at the man's face. She furrowed her eyebrows, making her look tough and not scared. When really, she was completely frightened and terrified at this point. But why would she want to show that side of her?

"I could say the same to you, but it is not in my best interest, considering what you have done," Ruby smacked his hand, trying to hit his suit instead of his exposed hand, not wanting to see any more gore images and visions of this man's life,

_"Slenderman."_

Slenderman seemed to brush off Ruby's actions and instead said, "Forgive me and my fellow companions." Slenderman motioned. "It was not our intention to scare nor frighten you." Ruby could hear a low and quiet scolding noise coming from the right of hers. She took a quick glance to that direction and noticed Hoodie looking a bit off from his stance. His hands were crossed and he leaned on one side of his hips.

**· Geez, is he starting to get on my nerves right now. I should have killed him last night ·**

A sparkle of realization came to Ruby. 

_"That's bizarre, considering you almost killed two people, last night."_

_"I would have killed you in the forest, then and there."_

_**· I should have killed him last night ·** _

Ruby took a quick glance around the people surrounding her. Her suspicions increased. She was now aware; Jeff was not in this group of people.

"That means that something happened last night whilst I was knocked out. Could it be that the voice inside me took control of my body last night?" Ruby questioned. Ruby looked up at Slenderman.

"What do you want?" Ruby gave a furious look. She was already done with this situation. Ruby just wanted to go home. Slenderman seemed to look confused. Or does he look serious? Ruby could not tell with this man's no facial features. Ruby could hear little exhale coming from Slenderman.

"How about you come back with us? I can explain everything back in the mansion. How does that sound, my dear?" Slenderman stood up as he talked.

"Great, he acts like kidnapping someone sounds like a normal thing people do nowadays." Ruby thought to herself. "I don't really have a choice but to go. Even if I try to escape right now, they'll probably apprehend me."

**· You want me to take control? I can handle the situation ·**

"What the actual hell?! Now, you can read my mind?!" Ruby thought.

**· I am literally part of you. Of course, I can hear your thoughts. What do you take me for? ·**

"Great. Now I know I have gone completely insane," Ruby inhaled and exhaled through her nose at a steady pace.

"Fine," Ruby spoke.


	6. Inner Voice

Ruby sat quietly on a vintage chair, which looked like it came from the 17th or the 18th century. Ruby was to wait inside a room in which they called it a 'Dining Room'. Ruby sat on one side of the table, head down, waiting for someone to come through that door and tell what the hell is going on. Right now, Ruby is alone, everyone was told to leave the room.

Ruby knew about their plan. About their kidnap plan but their purpose was unknown. Or at least to her knowledge through Jeff and Hoodie's memories. Ruby kept her eyes close, searching for something that could lead to why these people want her. It seems that even Jeff and Hoodie don't have the answers.

Ruby gave a short soft chuckle. "So they just decide to kidnap a woman without any explanation? Why do they all follow this man's orders? It does not make sense." She thought  
  
  


**· Of course, it makes sense ·**   
  
  


That voice. Ruby opened her eyes, confused in this voice was saying, "What are you saying here?"  
  
 **  
**

**· If my suspicions are correct, which normally it is... ·**

Ruby rolled her eyes.

**· Slenderman knows who you are and what you can do ·**

Now, Ruby was thinking she was going crazy, "That's ridiculous," Ruby bluntly said.

**· Oh, but it is not. You see, Slenderman is not just any monster. He is an old monster. Which means he knows the history of many things. ·**

The voice stopped talking, seeing how confused on what it was trying to say. Ruby gave a minute or two to process what they had said.

"May I ask a question?" Ruby thought.

**· I know what you are going to ask: How do I know about Slenderman ·**

Ruby was silent.  
  
  


**· Very well ·**

**· It is very simple. You have the ability to see people's memories by touching their bare skin. But what you do not know is that I have the ability to see people's memories just by looking at them ·**   
  
  


"Wait, what?!" Ruby exclaimed. The room copied her voice and echoed the room.

**· You and I are no different. Well, except for having a physical body. We both share one body ·**

"So you know everything about Slenderman?"

**· Well, not everything. Though you and I have seen Slenderman, I do not have the full ability to see everything. Only the recent. The very recent things he had done. And some random memories too ·**

Ruby looked up, racking her brain. "So you do not know why he ordered them to kidnap me?"

**· Sorry, doll. I do not. I only have the facts about him. The recent events that he has done. But I did snatch a little information back when you in the woods. ·**

"Which is?"

**· Slenderman seems like he is searching for something. Or someone. A person who goes by... the Guardian Mother ·**

"The Guardian Mother? That sounds familiar." Ruby took her hands off the table and placed them on the armrest.

**· Apparently, she is this very important person and carries people's lives on her shoulders. She is indeed important that she is also a very dangerous person. This Guardian Mother, if she is to get hurt, the impact will also happen to others. If they are to die, then people will also die ·**

Ruby blinked a few times, shaking her head back. She was not expecting that last part. "Do you know what certain people? And what does this have to do with me?" Ruby asked.

**· Right now, that information is not in my jurisdiction. Which means I do not know. The same for your second question. But I think we are about to have some questions answered ·  
**   
  


Ruby looked directly at the door, but it was locked. The knob did not twist, or the sound of the lock click. Ruby was confused. This woman-voice-person-soul in her head must have been bluffing.

"I am back." Ruby yelped in shock of a different voice coming from her left. She jumped from her seat and stumbled away from the dining table to her right, causing the chair she sat on to fall off its side. Ruby looked to the person, who's voice belonged to, only realizing that it is Slenderman. Ruby froze and then dropped her hands to her sides, letting a sigh of relief.

"You," Ruby mumbled.

"Who else would it have been, my dear?" Slenderman took a look at her before sitting down on a chair next to Ruby's poor chair. Ruby walked to the chair and placed it back up and sat on it.

"None of you people here." Ruby leaned back on her chair. Slenderman sat very poshly, which gave weird vibes towards Ruby. Ruby stayed completely still on her chair, trying to examine Slenderman. "You think you can see his memories? Or something that explains why my sorry body needs to be here?" Ruby thought to the woman in her head.  
  
 **  
**

**· That is not possible. Because then I need to be in control of this body. If we were to continue like this, I'd most likely get random things from Slenderman's memories ·**

"At least it is better than nothing. At least we know what we are dealing with." Ruby thought as she cleared her voice. The voice became quiet, leading to Ruby to do extend her time with Slenderman. Ruby planned to expand Slenderman's explanation to the maximum. If the voice got as much information as Slenderman gave, then Ruby will know for sure, he is not lying.

"Explain, right now." Ruby caught to the chase.

Slenderman looked at Ruby for a while with his no facial features. He sighed and said, "Where do you want me to start, my dear?" Ruby gave a confused shock. Ruby figured that this whole thing will become long. But she did not care. All she wanted to know was everything single piece of information. Ruby quickly reverted back a serious face. "Why did you kidnap me?"

"My plan was not to kidnap you at first, but because time was of the essence, kidnapping you seemed to be out of desperation. My dear, please forgive me. At the time kidnapping seemed to be the only option before..." He paused. Ruby found this strange. But he spoke again, "Something else would have gotten to you before we did. Again, forgive me, my dear."  
  
 **  
**

**· Why does he call you my dear? I hope he knows that by calling people that will make him sound like a paedophile ·**   
  
  


Ruby held back a chuckle and instead gave out a little cough. Ruby made her spine straight and continued questioning. And with every question, Ruby asked, Slenderman would always have an explanation to answer.

"Who are those something else?"

"Those something else is people who want to hurt many people for nothing but their own pleasure and entertainment. I am afraid, I can not tell you more because it is something I will tell you more about, in the near future."

"Who are these people in this mansion?"

"The people here, I call them my proxies. I am sure you have heard of this term before, considering you take English literature in your studies. They are people who considered themselves psychopaths or killers. They help me kill people, but only the ones that I order. But I let them kill whoever they want. It is in their nature to show their dark side."

"What is so important about me?"

"Do you want the short explanation or the long explanation?"

I became hesitant. I want as much information as possible. So... I guess the long one then. "The long explanation. Do not leave out any details."

It was quiet. I hate that. Why does the silence have to go against me at times like this?

"Very well, my dear. I will begin explaining."

"For a very long time, monsters like us have existed around the same time mortals like you were created. But nobody knows who created us. Not even us, monsters, know who brought life to us. It was not until a certain monster was discovered after centuries of monsters existing. Their name was like all the ordinaries, but we all refer to her as the Guardian Mother. She is a being that is able to create life, whether it is from nothing or from mortals. The Guardian Mother is a special entity that has live on from generation to generation. As you can see, they have lived for a long time."

"I still don't get why I am part of this... 'Little Crusade'. I'm just a human. I am no supernatural being. Nor do I have any supernatural powers."

"That is where you are wrong, my dear."

I blink at him, my head shaking back. I was not expecting a reaction like that. I assumed he would have agreed with me. Though Slenderman had said it all too fast, I ignored his snap and continued to look at him in awe.

"Excuse me?"

"Forgive me, but what you have said is entirely wrong."

"Let me explain further about the Guardian Mother. Although the Guardian Mother has lived on for many centuries and many generations, the very being we call the Guardian Mother changes from person to person, but will always stick to the one family. The one generation. The one line of blood. And that comes from your family: the Easterwood family. The Easterwood family has lived for so long that before it used to be called EastHart. But as time past, it changes its name."  
  
  


"Stop," Ruby snapped, "My family is nothing but ordinary people." Ruby stood up, the chair making clucking sounds on the table as it went backwards. Slenderman looked up, his head watching Ruby's eyes, her every move. She kept repeating 'No' again until Ruby lost count of how many she has said.

"My family is nothing but ordinary. My family is not..." At this point, Ruby starting backing away from Slenderman and the table. Ruby panicked. Because not only did she finally got the answers she wanted, but because Ruby could not admit it at all. Ruby placed all the pieces in a matter of seconds.

The touch

The memories  
  
  


The voice  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Mom  
  
  


"I do not..." Ruby kept being quiet, her eyes becoming watery. Ruby kept looking at Slenderman as he just stood still in his seat. Her arms started flailing around, having no use sticking to her sides. Ruby blinked multiple times, hoping the tears in her eyes to stay where they are. But Ruby gave in and her tears started hanging down from her eyes, escaping downwards on her cheeks. Ruby's legs became vulnerable and weak, so she collapsed down to a heel position, her spine crouching down, as her hands covered her face.

...  
  
 **  
**

**· I am sorry, Ruby. But what he says is true. Everything he says is correct. You and your family created the creatures that roam on the earth. You are the new Guardian Mother ·**   
  
  
  
  
  


"My dear," Ruby heard Slenderman's voice again, but it was closer to her. The voice was in front of her. Ruby looked up and saw his face. Both of their faces were of the same height level. Ruby examined Slenderman's position and saw that he was practically compacting his entire body smaller and smaller, just so he could speak to Ruby. "I know that this information is a lot to take in but-" Slenderman reached his long slender hand to Ruby's cheek. But before he could even lay a finger on her bare skin, Ruby remembered all of the bad things she would see. Ruby did not hesitate to stay still any longer. She jumped back, scooting her body away from Slenderman. As much as she wanted to find all the information she needed and wanted, seeing someone's memories was not going to be an option for her. If for desperate measures, maybe, but at this moment, this was not desperate. Her tears were dry, leaving them to be cold to her cheeks, as they were puffy and red from the crying. Ruby stopped backing away, thinking where she was now was good of enough space between her and Slenderman. She watched as Slenderman looked at her with... well, Ruby could not tell, with the no facial features on his face. Ruby could not tell if he was confused by Ruby's actions, or angry. His right hand - the one that was going to touch Ruby's cheeks - gradually flopped to the floor.

"Please, don't touch me," Ruby quietly murmured, her voice was hiccupy.

"My dear, I will not hurt you. I promise you," Slenderman said.

"That is not it." Now Ruby could tell Slenderman was confused. He tilted his head, showing his confusion. She gulped her saliva and began to speak,

"When someone touches me, I see so many horrifying things. Violence and Murder. Killing and slaughter. So many. All those innocent people: dead." Ruby said. Ruby couldn't tell the expression on Slenderman's face. She was not able to.

Both of them, Ruby and Slenderman, stayed completely still, both staring at each other like it was the only thing they were capable of doing. Ruby's eyes staring at his white face.  
  
  


**· Okay! I am just going to say this, but this has gone on for too long. Get your butt off of the floor ·  
**   
  


Ruby was the first to move, slowly making up to her standing position, as Slenderman unfolded his body and was once again the very tall thin monstrous figure, illuminating over Ruby. Ruby bit her bottom lip, the little pain tensing there, as Ruby cleaned the dust off of her. Ruby sighed, taking a few seconds to take everything as she looked back again to Slenderman, which earlier was looking down at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Slenderman. I just don't take things like this easily." Ruby was actually apologizing. She could feel her body sickening. Part of Ruby actually felt guilty for throwing a trauma in front of Slenderman, but the other part of Ruby felt disgusted for apologizing to Slenderman.

"No worries, my dear. I can not understand how much this will affect you and your life but." Slenderman took a moment to breathe in between, "we mean no harm to you. As long as you mean no harm to us. We will take care of you here." Ruby was taken back. Should she trust these people? After everything that happened: Getting kidnapped, Escaping the mansion, then brought back again. Is she willing to go deeper, leaving her life? Ruby was more doubtful.

"Sir, I can't do that." Ruby gestured. "I have people who will probably be wondering where the hell I am. My friends and my mom. They are people that I care about and I need to be there."

"That is where I explain more things about everything in your life." Slenderman confused Ruby. What does he mean? "You have been unconscious for about 2 days."

"What?! 2 whole days?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hold on, my dear. There is more. Your mother has left the country on a business trip to Europe." Ruby remembered now; her mother said that she was going to Europe for a business meeting. But because this meeting is very important to her and her work, Ruby's mother was going to be there for longer than a month. And Ruby also remembered that her mother should have left the day after Ruby was kidnapped. Ruby did not mind, because she was already a grown-up and could take care of herself. This was not the first time that Ruby's mother left the state and had a meeting somewhere else. Normally, these trips would last for 3 to a week at least. But Ruby remembered that her mother said that this meeting will be very important to her, that her mother might be able to get a higher raise or promotion on her job. Ruby sighed at her forgetfulness.

"And there so happened to be a mystery in your University." Ruby, with wide shock eyes, continued listening to Slenderman. "The classes and facilities were trashed and completely broken and the members of staff have no clue what happened?"

"But, there are security cameras around the establishment. How can...?" Ruby stopped, realizing another piece of information. Ruby heard rumours that the security cameras were not working properly and the school was shutting them down and have them repaired this week. What a coincident that there was a break-in on the same day the security cameras were getting repaired.

"Right. The security cameras aren't working." Ruby muttered, "is there anything else I must know?" Ruby asked Slenderman.

"I believe that is everything that has happened whilst you were away. Nothing seemed to be stolen from your school. So the school has decided to shut down for a couple of weeks. To get the University renovated." Ruby nodded to Slenderman.

"I guess, I'm staying here for a while." Ruby thought.

"I suggest you rest. I want you to feel well-rested and not tired because I want to introduce you to other people here." Ruby's brain stopped working for a while. Her, meet the other killers and murderers here in this mansion? Ruby is already on someone's kill list, she does not want to be on everyone else's kill list by the end of the morning. But Ruby just simply sighed, looked at Slenderman, and nodded her head slightly. She thought best, right now, was to leave the dining room and be escorted to her room, which will be her room for the next couples of weeks.

"And before you go," Ruby stopped dead in her tracks, surprised to hear Slenderman's voice calling out when she thought that this conversation between her and Slenderman was over.

"There is a question I would like to ask you." Slenderman stayed in the same place.

"Actually, two questions." He added.

"I don't mind," Ruby replied.

"Last night, you attacked two of my people. You seemed to have done numerous injuries to their bodies and most seem to be extreme. It was almost as if you were trying to kill them."  
  
  


**· That was me. Last night, I tried to kill them all, but I was knocked out by Hoodie ·**

Ruby figured.

"Were you?" Slenderman had the same questions as Ruby. And the only answer she could give was...

"To be completely honest sir, I don't know. The last thing I can remember from last night was blacking out. The rest is a blur." Ruby admitted, "I wish I had the answer to that as well. But I don't. And I'm not joking around, I genuinely didn't know about the fight last night. It was only until Hoodie hinted me what happened last night when I woke up."

"I see."

"Will they be okay?" For once, Ruby felt remorse for these people she tried to kill last night. Though she was not in control of her body at that time, Ruby felt responsible for what happened. Like it was her fault.

"Yes. They are alright at the moment, there are cuts and bruises. But they will be okay. You do not need to worry too much, my dear." Ruby nodded, getting the information from Slenderman.

"And, what is your other question?"

"Whose memories have you seen?" Slenderman asked.

Ruby gave it a thought. She remembered Hoodie and Jeff's memories. But she felt as if she was missing one more person. It was at the tip of her tongue, but she could not remember. It was if she had forgotten all about them.

"Hey voice, whoever you are, is there anyone else you touched?" Ruby thought, knowing that voice woman would hear her.  
  
  


**· Yeah. Last night, there was another man. His name is Jackson Tyler Hammerson. But these days he is called Eyeless Jack. I will show you his memories some other time ·  
**   
  


"I have seen Hoodie, Jeff, and Eyeless Jack's memories. They are the only ones that I have touched." Ruby explained. Slenderman looked to be deep in thought and gave out a loud exhaled.

"Alright. Thank you for the information. I will send someone to escort you to your room. Wait outside the door." Slenderman said to Ruby. Ruby nodded and walked to the door, twisted the doorknob - which was now unlocked when Slenderman entered the room - and closed the door behind her. She stood by the door and leaned onto the wall beside the door, her arms crossed and both her legs were parallel on the floor.

Ruby was contemplating on her life right now: Had she made the right decisions? Giving Slenderman that much information about everything? Telling Slenderman her touch ability? Ruby was ... not sure anymore. At least she did not tell them about the voice inside her head. Speaking of the voice.

"So you got any information from Slenderman?" Ruby thought.  
  
  


**· Not much. All I have right now are random memories of a little girl and a few people in his life at the moment. But they all look really happy together. You wanna see? ·  
**   
  


Ruby sighed and thought for a minute.  
  
  


**· You do realize I can hear your thoughts. I know you are debating whether or not ·  
**   
  


Ruby was about to protest to the voice. But she started again before Ruby could have a say.  
  
  


**· No matter. I will show you ·  
**   
  


"Wait, I-" Ruby was a bit too late. The voice had transferred the memories of Slenderman. Ruby looked up and froze right in her place.

_**~~~** _

_"SLENDERMAN, Jeffs' burning the kitchen again!" A man started yelling out loud._

_"NO, I AM NOT!" Ruby recognized Jeff's voice._

_"DID TOO!" Then he screams,_ _"AAH!"_

_The man ducked in time before a knife was launched right at him. The knife flew over the man and struck at the kitchen wall and stuck to it. Now, both of them, the man and Jeff, were fighting each other, as the kitchen was slowly charging up in flames._

_Slenderman sighed._

_"Hoodie, Masky. Could you sort this out please?" Slenderman asked the two boys next to him, whom they were quietly playing Go fish. Well, until Slenderman ordered them to stop Jeff and the man. As Slenderman sat on the high stool, watching all of this happen, in the corner of his vision, he could see his little girl, climbing onto the high stool on his right. The little girl, Sally, succeeded and sat next to Slenderman. He could see Sally was holding a piece of paper in her tiny hands._

_"What do you have there, Sally?"_

_"A drawing," She responded a cute little voice, showing the drawing on the paper, "Look, here's all of us."_

_She pointed as called out the names of the people on the paper. "There's you," Pointing at the thin tall person with no face,_

_"Jeffy," Pointing at the man with a long smile and a knife in his hand,_

_"Jacky," Pointing to the man with a blue mask. with a black hoodie,_

_"Jane," Pointing at the white pale woman with a black smile and black hair,_

_"Linky," Pointing at a dark emo-looking figure, the man who snitched on Jeff about the kitchen,_

_"Masky," Pointing at the yellow jacket man with a white mask,_

_"Hoodie," Pointing at the yellow hoodie man with a black mask,_

_"Painty," Pointing at a blue jacket man with a red smile on a white mask,_

_"Lulu," Pointing at a woman wearing a blue dress with long black hair._

_"And Smiley," Pointing at a dog figure with a big smile. Slenderman stared at the paper for a while before he replied. "That looks very lovely, Sally. But what about you?" Slenderman asked as he gave the paperback to Sally._

_"Oh, I forgot about myself. I was too busy making everyone else to add me." She gave a little giggle which was so cute. Slenderman looked the same, but Sally could feel Slenderman's presence and his mood lightened, even with Jeff and the man still battling each other whilst Hoodie and Masky tried to stop them both.  
_ **  
**

**~~~**

Ruby closed her eyes, seeing the little memory fade away from her sight. She reopened her eyes, staring down at the floor. She was still waiting at the door, nobody was around. Not a single thing moved around Ruby's presence.

Ruby sighed, "You call that a happy family? More of a dysfunctional family." But the memory made her smile. Ruby kinda thought it was funny, seeing Sally showing the drawing to Slenderman. Ruby instantly thought of Slenderman as a great father-modal. At least for Sally, Ruby wasn't sure about the other children.  
  
  


**· Oh, that is not the only memory I have got ·  
**   
  


Ruby blinked in surprise, her body reacting a bit backwards.

_**~~~** _

_Everyone is standing outside as the tiny little snowflakes start falling down gracefully onto more piles of white snow. The dirt was mixed with a dark colour of brown soil and transparent white snow. The trees were all still, the leaves catching the snowflakes onto its bare surface. Little by little, the leaves were covered in light snow._

_But in the background, Ruby watched people playing out in the snow. Many of which she could recognize; Jeff, Jane, Lulu, Masky, Hoodie, and Slenderman. The rest were complete strangers to Ruby (Includes Sally, since Ruby doesn't know much of her)._

_The air was filled with laughter and chatting. Some of were screams, but that was because some of them were playing extreme snowball fight._

_Jeff, on the ground severely hard, as he is being pummeled with snowballs by the same man who snitched: **Dark Link**. Dark Link seemed to have a good time. Jeff... not so much._

_Jane and Lulu were helping Sally in making a snow angel on the ground. They were not perfect, but they were still beautiful to look at. Until, Smile.Dog came out of nowhere and ruined all three of their snow angels. It didn't take long for Jane to start chasing the husky dog around the front lawn whilst Lulu was trying to stop Jane._

_Masky, Hoodie, and **Bloody Painter** were all on the other side of the front lawn, trying to build a snowman. Though all three of them were already older than most of the people - Except Slenderman - they acted very childishly and immature when building a snowman._

_Which left Slenderman and Eyeless Jack sitting on the porch, enjoying the still, cold fresh air outside. They both sat on the same bench, as Eyeless Jack and Slenderman did their own business. It wasn't until Eyeless Jack broke the silence between the two._

_"We don't get this a lot here, don't we sir?"_

_"What do you mean, my son?" Slenderman answer back, unsure of what Eyeless Jack is talking about. But both don't look at each other. Eyeless Jack gestured, swaying his arm left to right, indicating the scenery._

_"All of this. The snow. The scenery. The joyfulness. The sound of... adults going bunkers in the snow. We don't get that this a lot, is what I am mean." Eyeless Jack explains more, "Wonder what it's like to see that."_

_Slenderman straightened his back, his back leaning less on the upright wall that is attached to the bench. But, he was silent for a while. Makes you wonder: What goes on in the creature's head?_

_"You are right. We do not get a lot of this. It is like madness but in a different way. A relaxing way..." Slenderman paused, "You will see soon, my son. What it's like to see the wonders of this Earth."_

_Both men sat there for another hour or two until one of the men decided to go in.  
  
_

**~~~**

Ruby leaned her head back on to the wall, the top of her head touching the rough hard wall, with her eyes closed and mouth sealed shut. She took a breath in.... and breath out through her nose. And on the breath out, Ruby opened her eyes gradually, seeing the birch wooden ceiling. Her arms and hands had stayed the same; Crossed arms.

"As much as this looks interesting, it doesn't give us much about what Slenderman plans to do." Ruby admitted as her thoughts could be heard from the voice.

**· I mean, at least you know all the names of the proxies that live here ·**

"Yeah, that is true. But I'm not sure how we are -"

"Look who it is," Ruby flinched at the sudden new voice. Her head flung down, her eyes dead-on someone else's eyes. But their eyes were tremendously frightening. His eyes had no eyelids, which they certainly, that must hurt. But the man that stood a few feet away from her to the left, seemed to be fine... ish. His skin was pale white, but not as pale as Slenderman's skin. The man had a big gruesome smile implanted at the ends of his face. But even though the man's face were always smiling, the man's actual mouth was not giving smiles or smirks. The man wore a stained white hoodie. The stains were either dried red blood at the edge of his hoodie or dirt/dust that seemed to just stick to his hoodie. The man also wore black pants... nothing interesting about them. His height was rather tall but also shorter than Liu, who was a giant.

Immediately, Ruby recognized the man. To her, she wasn't scared at all, for she had longed to see this man once again. Even if his older brother distasted him. Ruby's eyes went wide, her arms unfolded and her body stopped leaning on the wall. Her body stood an odd position, but Ruby could care any less.

"Jeff?" Ruby muttered the words out in awe. Jeff finally gave a wide smile, wider than his plastered smile. He chuckled and extended his hands out.

"The one and only," Jeff spoke. Ruby stared in awe, which finally broke into a genuine smile. Ruby walked to Jeff and gave a hug to him, which seemed to surprise him. His body tensed up a bit. "Oh, be careful. My body is still in recovery." Ruby let go of him, studying his face.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to squeeze you that hard," Ruby said, backing away from him. Ruby finally study the torso of Jeff's hoodie and his arms.

"Ah, it's alright. But man, did you give out quite a fight last night," His left hand came out, showing a huge, white round cast on Jeff's arm. When Ruby saw it, she gasped, filling the tiny air around them to echo. Her hands were covering her mouth. Did she really do that much damage last night? No, did that voice inside her do so much damage?  
  
  


**· Yes, I did. And I still do not regret it. He kidnapped you, which to any sane person, would have fought or run away ·  
**   
  


Ruby ignored the voice's intense words and looked in Jeff's eyes. "I am... so sorry. I didn't mean to go that far." Even though she wasn't the one doing none of the countless injuries, it was her body who still did it. So Ruby, in her head, was responsible.

"It's okay, Ruby. To be honest, I can't feel it anymore. Well except my back, where you struck a knife inside." Jeff gestured. All Ruby could do was look at Jeff, knowing that she could not do anything to reverse the accident.

"C'mon, I'll take you to your room." Jeff beamed and started walking towards the stairs to the left of the door. Ruby followed Jeff from behind.

"So, how has life been treating you, Ruby?" Jeff said. Ruby gave a confused look. To be real, since when has Jeff gave a shit about Ruby? From the stories she was told, he was brutal, cold, and downright insane. And now that she is in the presence of Jeff the Killer, Ruby found it odd, that Jeff would ask questions like that.

"Alright, I guess. Since when did you care about my life?" Ruby asked. She was looking at the back of Jeff's head, whom he was still looking forward.

"To be quite frank with you, I am not sure either," Jeff admitted.   
  
  


**· This boy is confusing ·  
**   
  


"But you did grow shorter the last time I saw you." Jeff teased. Ruby felt attacked.

"How dare you? I may be shorter than you, but you have to respect me for being the older one between us." Ruby babbled. Ruby could hear a low chuckle coming from Jeff.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Ruby sat on the edge of her new bed, clutching the blanket in her hands. She scanned her new room; It was the room when Ruby woke up. Nothing was different. It seemed as though nothing really changed. Ruby didn't have any other clothes, but when she entered the room, there were clothes laid on her bed. It was a grey shirt and shorts. It wasn't long before Ruby realized that most of her clothes were in the huge closet. Ruby didn't ask Jeff, but she certainly thought that they were thinking that Ruby would be staying there for a long time, considering the number of her clothes in the closet.  
  
  


"So," She said out loud, "What are you, woman-voice-person?" Ruby asked.  
  
  


**· You still wanna know? ·**

"Uh, yes. Don't think I forgot everything that just happened. I want an explanation about what you've done." Ruby said.

**· How about you first go to sleep? I will tell you in the morning when it is a better time ·**

"Nope, I wanna know now."

It was silent. Ruby waited and waited, but the voice didn't come back. It was dead silence. A pin could drop and be the loudest sound to produce at the moment. Ruby was sitting still for a long time, hoping the voice would come back. But it came to Ruby's head, that they were not coming back. They would not say anything until the morning would come.

"I should really get some shut-eye," Ruby was already dressed in the clothes that were laid on her bed, as she moved into a side-lying position under the sheets. In a matter of minutes, Ruby slept soundlessly in her new bed,

In her new room,

In the new hallways,

Of a new house,

In the middle of a forest,

Miles and Miles away from the closest neighbouring town.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_I open my eyes. I was standing on what seemed like... nothing. I could say I was merely floating. If so, then I wouldn't feel the ground underneath my bare feet. Odd, the mind has a way in tricking the body in many ways. I was wearing my PJs, or the clothes I was wearing to sleep; a grey shirt and a darker shade of grey shorts. Nothing special, except the fact it's cosy to be in. I look up, scanning the area around. And to my surprise, I was surrounded by dark shades of red that blended to black as it went down. It was like a bottomless pit; I couldn't see the bottom of the floor as well as the top. It was like I was in the middle of it all. The red shades of colour were less dominant than the black, but it showed its balance. I was ... intrigued at my surroundings. It was like I was in a trance that I wouldn't want to get out of._

_My eyes stopped searching, landing at an outcast, at something that is out of place. It wasn't far, nor was it near. But I could make out its shape. It was... peculiarly taller than me, which gave me chills down my spine, seeing the height it was. They had long red hair. Which I found to be odd and yet beautiful at the same time. But their hair had streaks of black flowing down the hair. But what really caught my eye was weird silhouettes of unnatural shapes and forms. Then I realize... those weird silhouettes were bat-like wings. They... She is a demon._

_The woman turns around, her head only looking at me, her body had turned 90 degrees to her left. Her eyes... they are pure amber colours. They glow dark red as they glare at my dark boring eyes. I almost gasp when I don't see her inner pupils, those black circles that are in the middle of the eyes: They are not there. Instead, the cornea is not white, it is black. My heart starts racing at a faster pace. I can feel myself panic. But instead, I stay still. But her eyes.... her eyes suit her appearance and features. Her skin is rather normal; Her skin colour is more tan than mine. I examine her hair. Her hair stands out most, apart from her wings. They are almost shining in red. Her bangs are all shifted to the right side of her face, and that is where I see a hairpin, just underneath a black object sticking out of her hair. I realize that the woman has horns too. They are completely black that I can not see the carvings of the horns. It like a silhouette. The hairpin underneath her right horn is in the shape of a snowflake. A grey snowflake. I wonder where she got that from. The outfit she wears is simple and yet gracious. A dark red shirt with long sleeves - With light red decorations at the end sleeve - with a maroon skirt that has a black rose on the side, leaving a white fabric underneath the rose. And her shoes were knee-length, with brighter red colours._

_I stayed absolutely still. Both scared and admired by the demon woman figure in front of me. We both continue to stare. Her expression looked serious...  
  
  
_

_That is until she smirks and gives a little chuckle to herself. Her entire body faces me, her right hand jabbed on her hips, her left hand swaying on her side. Then, she speaks boldly and powerful. But with that voice of hers, I still recognize._

_**"Has anyone told you that staring is rude, Ruby Easterwood?"  
**   
  
_

_Her..._


	7. Amber

  
  
  
_My eyes are still staring at her, even when she has told me not to. But to be honest, my body feels frozen and stiff. It is like I can't move at all. So... this is my voice? This is how she looks like? This is her real voice? Her... everything? She's... a demon? The voice inside me is not human?_

**_"And you still continue to stare at me. Very rude_ ** **_of you to do so_ ** **_, Ruby_ ** **_Easterwood_ ** **_,"_ ** _Her voice is not loud but she definitely has a speaking voice, to begin with._

_I blink multiple times and realize that my mouth was gawking. I closed my mouth and opened my mouth just slightly. "Is that... you?"_

_She hummed a laugh,_ **_"In the flesh._ ** **_However_ ** **_not literal, that is the unfortunate_ ** **_matter_ ** **_,"_ ** _Her posture stood tall, making her high and mighty._

_"So...this is how you look like? You look..." I examine the front of the voice, then I walked around Ruby as she watched me without turning her body or head. She stayed absolutely still, her hand on her right hip. Her wings shifted down, showing the smooth skins at the surface of her wings. I marveled in her wings. They were... extraordinary. I've seen pictures of them in books and movies, but nothing like this. They make demons like they are monsters. Nothing but bad. Ugly creatures. But her... she is like an angel in demon's clothing. Like the saying; Wolf in sheep's clothing._

_"Like nothing I would have expected." I finally speak. Her eyes finally meet mine._

**_"You were not expecting me to look like a demon."_ ** _Her voice wasn't in a question. And then I realize that I sound terrible saying that. I regret what I had said immediately._

_"No... no no no," I repeat_ _ed_   
_quickly, "I didn't mean it that way. I mean that in a good way. I'm not saying you're ugly or a bad person. I'm just saying you are pretty for a demon- I MEAN you are a pretty demon. I'm sorry. I've never been such a mess when speaking to someone." I groan in embarrassment. I covered my face. I can feel my face turning pinky. I feel so embarrassed. I have never acted like this before. What the heck is wrong meeeee?!_

_I hear a soft snort, coming from her. I take a peek with one eye. I see her cheeks are round and puffy, her hand trying to cover her mouth. Then it seems as if she_ _couldn't_ _contain herself and just_ _let_ _it all out. She started laughing loud like there wasn't anyone else besides from me and her standing in the middle of... well whatever this place is. I take my hands away from my face, looking up at her in confusion. She finally looks at me, as I still have my confused look on my face. She calms down as she gestures to me._

**_"You do not have to be so flustered. I am_ ** **_merely_ ** **_teasing you,"_ ** _She extends her arm to me, her palm to the side. I look at her hand, then to her. Her smile is more of a smirk. The hand that was jabbed on her hip has now flopped to her sides._

**_"My name is Amber. It is a pleasure to meet you in person,"_ ** _She adds,_ **_"More or less in person."_ ** _I look down at her palms and took a moment to think. In all honesty, I thought she would just look like a normal person. But instead, surprised me in the most unusual way. And I'm not saying she can't be trusted. I'm not sure anymore, at this point. I've gone deep in this, and I don't think I can leave it now._

_I finally shook her hand with my hand, with a grin place on my face, "Likewise. I would say my name but," We both let go of each other's hands, "You already know my name."_

**_"My apologies if I startled you when you first came in contact with me. I did not mean to. That fall from the roof was my action and intention. I hope you understand, Ruby Easterwood"_ **

_"You don't need to call me by my full name_ _._ _Ruby will be alright." I wonder_ _ed_ _how old Amber is. She is rather tall, but she looks incredibly young. Like a teenager. Her hair from her head seems to be in place. Not hair standing out. No signs of old age, like white hair or wrinkles. Could she be younger than me?_

**_"I presume you still wanna know what I am, correct?"_ ** _I nod at her question._

_Then she speaks, but quieter. She starts moving down, her legs bending as her body position is placed smoothly into a cross position._

**_"Then, I suggest we sit down for this. This will be long."_ **   
  
  


**_"As you already know, I am Amber. I am a demon. You might think that I am an evil demon that just wants to conquer Earth and all of those peculiar stuff mortals thinks."_ ** _I find it weird she said 'peculiar stuff'. I'm not sure why._ **_"Well, I am not. I am a different demon. You could say I am an outcast. But I come from the demon royal family that lived for many centuries. Our family was meant to serve Earth. To live and protect anything that was to happen to anyone and everyone."_ **

**_"But, an event occurred, therefore risking everyone's safety and souls on the line. As you see, I live in a world filled with hate and war. Mortals... Human, they were the first to_ ** **_project_ ** **_war on us. Even if we did not want to, they had slaughtered many of my kind and so many others."_ **

_"Wait, there were more of you? As in, not just demons and humans?"_

**_"Indeed. There were different creatures. Angels, Warlords, Mermans and Mermaids, Werewolves, we were united as one to defeat the humans. But my time was cut short, but our war still lives on_ ** **_, from what I assume_ ** **_."_ **

_"I've never heard of this... war between creatures and humans. Specifically, creatures don't exist. I've seen movies and books about creatures and monsters. But they don't exist."_

**_"_ ** **_Maybe not in this world, but I have a theory that when my life had shortened, I had moved onto a new world. This world would appear to be the new world."_ **

_It's quiet, but for a reason. I'm confused about so many things. At the moment, I know Amber is a demon and is part of a royal family. Sorry, a demon royal family. And there was a war between creatures and humans. But when said her time was cut short... does she mean..._

_She died?!_

_"Wait, you said your time was cut short... Did you die?"_

_I sat opposite her, my position stiff. When I asked, I felt nervous and uncomfortable. I don't know why. Maybe because I have never asked a question like that before? Probably. This entire thing is overwhelming._

_First, the touch with Hoodie._

_Second, the kidnapping._

_Then, seeing Jeff once again._

_Now, Amber... the demon._

_I hear Amber sigh. I look at her, but I can't see her face. Amber is looking down, her hands hanging on her knees. Her back spine was straight. Then I realize, her entire posture and spine are completely posh and straight._

**_"That is something I_ ** **_do_ ** **_no_ ** **_t want to speak_ ** **_of_ ** **_. It is a sensitive subject to talk about."_ **

_"Oh..." Was all I could utter. Now I sound upset. I'm not upset. I respect Amber's wishes._

_"_ _So, what about the roof thing and... anything else I need to know."_

**_"Yes, the roof... thing. You and I both share this body, but not equally. At the moment, you have the most control in this body. Since this body is not originally mine, I have fewer controls in having this body. However, I can make you slip or move just out of position. An example, the roof."_ **

_I took a moment, to process and get it in my head. I continued to stare into her eyes, which were looking behind my shoulder. I wanted to turn around and see what she was looking at. But for some strange reason, I find myself to believe that I and Amber are the only ones in this... mind... limbo... red and black place. What is this place? To be more curious, where? This place looks like a scene from a horror movie. Where they are about to get stabbed and all they see is red._

_"And this place? Where are we?"_

**_"To start, we are in the mind."_ **

_I gave a shocked expression and I took another look around. This is how the mind looks like?!_

_"This is the mind?!" I exclaim as I look back at Amber. This time, she looks directly at me, and not behind my shoulder._

**_"Well, not entirely. This is an illusion to which I am stuck. With my appearance, age, and maturity, the surroundings will change. As you can see, the mind has decided to go for this. In here, I am able to see what is going on when you are awake. I can see your memories when I want to."_ **

_"Okay, okay, okay." I say, "You move too fast in the information. Give me a few minutes to..." I sigh, "Breath."_

**_"Unfortunately, our time together in_ ** **_your_ ** **_mind will not be for much further."_ ** _Amber comments. I tilt my head at her, as she's my confusion._

_Her eyes stay the same; the dark amber eyes._ **_"The time here goes quicker than it does in reality. Right now,"_ ** _She raises her hand to shoulder length. Then a tiny spark sparkled, then grew bigger, creating a bigger loop circle. A picture image stood inside the circle, showing... me? I'm sleeping, eyes shot, on my side as I lay on the new bed in Slenderman's mansion. The sun is almost stretching to my bed; It can only reach to the above my heads._ **_"It is almost time to wake up."_ **

_"But, how do I-"_   
  
  
  
  
  


_·_ **W** A **K** _E_ ** _U_** _P!_ _·_  
  
  
  
  
  


Ruby squinted her eyes as she flinched from her once still lying position. Her hands were clasped together under her pillow that supported her head up a little bit. With one hand, she rubbed her eyes, taking out the stars in her eyes. Ruby gave a quiet yawn as she stretched her legs and hands. She shuffled in the bed, the sheets follow Ruby's movement on the bed. Ruby twisted to her other side as she looked through her small window above the desk.

The sun was just above the window, showing the yellow and white tinted lights coming from the trees. Ruby continued to look at the sunrise, coming through. It was... beautiful, so to say. It made Ruby think of the window view in her room back at her house.

Ruby, silently, inhaled and exhaled through her nostrils, as one of her arms swung off the bed and dangled at the sides. She played a rhythm through her fingers, her fingers moving back and forth in a random pattern. Ruby's mind wandered off to somewhere, watching the sunrise.

"I'm being held against my own will. My mother doesn't even know, and probably my friends are busy with family stuff and all those. While they are doing that, I'm held captive in a mansion, by a freaking no-face monster called Slenderman and his little..." Ruby thought of her choice of words, " _Minions_."

A little whine broke the silence in Ruby's room. In Ruby's alert, she bolted her head up to where she heard the sound. It came from behind her but was in a far distance to the bed. Ruby sat up as the sheets fell off her shoulders and onto her legs, just below the waist. In the far corner of the room, Ruby could just make out a round, weird-looking black outline. The sunlight had still not been able to reach the far corners of Ruby's room, so she couldn't see whatever that was there. The black outline grew bigger in size, creating other shapes that gradually fit the creature. It was of a dog. The black outline matched with the features of the dog. Only, when it came into the sunlight, Ruby could recognize the dog. Its fur had the same colors when Ruby first encountered it: Red plashes with it's grey and black fur. Its eyes were of human eyes. But what really got Ruby to send chills all through her spine was its teeth. They were human teeth. And not only that, the dog was able to give a smile. A smile that gives people the creeps or a smile that sent the other person the wrong impressions.

"Oh, it's you again," Ruby murmured. The dog move to the side of the bed, the side that Ruby was closest to. Once the dog had reached the side of the bed, it just stared at Ruby, intensely. Its eyes just glared the inside of Ruby's frightened eyes. Ruby shook her head back a bit, unaware of what to do next. Its smile didn't make it even better, either. Then the dog lifted its head up and let it just sit on the bed. The dog didn't look at Ruby anymore and instead looked at the bed. Ruby was both confused and surprised; mostly confused about this dog. Ruby let her hands fall onto the material of the soft mattress. Her left hand almost inches in touching the dog's fur.

"Wonder who used to own that dog. Has this dog just been with Slenderman in this mansion for all its life?" Ruby thought, "Hm, you know Amber, I always wanted to have a dog."  
  
  


...  
  
  


"Amber?" Ruby thought in questioned. She shifted her eyes up, not anymore looking at the dog. Amber had been quiet. Her hands moved out of place, but that was a terrible mistake for Ruby. Her left hand raised up, but the fingertips just skinned one of the dog's fur.  
  
  
  
  
  


_{ No, no, please. Leave my daughter alone please }_

_{ She's only a baby. Please, spare her }_

_{ PLEASE SPARE MY LITTLE GEM }_

_There, on the floor, lay a baby inside a little baby carrier basket in the far-middle of the room. She cried, and whine, and screamed at the top of her lungs. The man... was fed up with that noise. The mother was being held back by someone which put her down on the floor where she lay on her legs. The mother tried to get out of the person's grip, but they, themselves, were too strong. But in between the tall man and the crying baby, was a dog, who growled with all his might and barked at the man, ferociously, showing the dog's sharp teeth and saliva. But the dog was soon interrupted by a swift counter-attack at the side of the dog, knocking the dog off on its position and hit hard onto the wall beside it. It landed, tumbling with pains and whines._

_{ Don't... Please... }_

_{ Don't hurt any of them }_

_{ Take me instead }_   
  
  


_{ Leave Milo and Ruby_ **_ALONE_ ** _}_   
  
  
  
  
  


"Helloooo?" A woman waved in Ruby's vision, "Anyone home?" Ruby snapped out of her mind and blinked multiple times before adjusting herself to her new surroundings again. The woman - Or rather - Jane stood at the edge of the bed and was looking down at Ruby. Ruby looked up, saw Jane, and immediately remembered the last time she saw Jane. It was not the forest, but when Jane was in her room, talking with Hoodie.

"Oh, hello Jane." Ruby accidentally said. Jane tilted her head as she said, "How do you know my name?" But instead of how Hoodie would react, she was the complete opposite. She stayed calm and still, unlike Hoodie.

Ruby had wide eyes and took a breathe in and said, "Oh, I, uh... That is... I know your name by... Jeff," Ruby gave a petty smile. It wasn't a complete lie. Ruby figured Jane out easily from Jeff's memories. She's a constant memory, a common person in Jeff's life; Both in bad ways and good ways. So, technically, Ruby wasn't lying about how she knew. Jane was silent but turned that silent into a little chuckle.

"Alright, if you say so." Jane smiled, "You better get ready, breakfast is going to be served soon."

"Uh, breakfast?" Ruby repeated.

"You know, the most important meal of the day? Please don't tell me you don't eat in the mornings?" Jane said in distraught.

"I-I do. I just forgot about everything that has happened, that I don't even know what time or what day it is." Ruby gave another smile, but it was wary.

"Don't worry, time flies by here, pretty confusing at first, but you'll get used to it." Jane walked away from the bed, letting Ruby some space for her to move out of the bed. Jane was heading for the door. But she stopped and looked back to Ruby, who was standing by the bed. "I'll be waiting outside your door. I suggest you don't take her time." As Jane emphasized on the **'don't'**. Ruby nodded, indicating Jane to leave the room and close the door behind her.

Ruby sighed and thought to herself,

"What have I gotten myself into?"  
  
  


**·** ** A pretty complete messed up situation, I would say ** **·**


	8. First Day (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,  
> Sorry I didn't post the next chapter for a while, I had completely forgotten as I now have holidays and such. You may think that because of the holidays, I would be focusing more on the posting and adding chapter more frequently. But no I don't do that, instead go on Instagram and Tiktoks and continuously watch videos until it's 2am.  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a good day/evening. 😊

Ruby had finished getting ready for the day. She decided to take a quick shower with cold water. Ruby tried to increase the temperature, but no warm water came out. Ruby wasn't a fan of cold water, but it had to do for now. There was already a towel, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, lying next to the shower. Ruby figured that was there before Ruby had been in the room. After her quick cold shower, she went to change into her clothes. Ruby wasn't the one to be picky with clothing. If they looked good on her, they looked good on her: End of story. Ruby opened her closet, which was complicated to her. First off, the door that sealed her clothes from the other side was locked shut. Ruby could not even budge the thing open; It was tightly shut. Ruby was about to give up and just wear her PJs for breakfast until Ruby heard a familiar chuckle echoing the room.

Amber.  
  
  


**· You have got to be joking with me ·**   
  
  


Ruby stayed quiet but reluctantly cocked an eyebrow.  
  
  


**· There is a button at the side of the closet. You press that, then the doors will probably open ·  
**   
  


Ruby was confused. There was no button on either side of the closet when she was trying to force the door open. She checked the left side first: Nothing, from top to bottom. Ruby check the other side. And sure enough, there was a button. Ruby pressed it and waited a couple of seconds.   
  
  


**. . .**   
  
  


Ruby walked out of her room, fresh clothes and all. She wore black, long comfortable tights, which were able to be stretched, and a tight, red-crimson shirt that had sleeves down to her elbow. There were small black hearts that spread all over her shirt. On top of her shirt, she threw on a grey striped scarf around her neck. Ruby had learned to tie a scarf into a square scarf, after the help of Liu. After Liu had become a killer, he gave Ruby one of Liu's scarves. Liu gave it to Ruby after ... an accident happened occurred. Liu said to Ruby as he gave the scarf to her;  
  
  


_"Keep the scarf. I want you to have it. It's something to remember me by. So you do not forget about me. I don't want someone like you from my past to forget me."_

Ruby smiled at the memory. It was so ironic too. But that was a story for another time. Ruby closed the door behind her. Ruby walked a few steps forward to see Jane leaning on the wall to the left, next to the door. Jane looked up at Ruby's direction as they both met eye contact. Her white mask with black eyes and all beamed brightly after she saw Ruby. Jane kicked herself off the wall and stood tall. Jane was about Ruby's height, possibly shorter, but her appearance made her look older. Older than Ruby herself, when actually, Jane was only two years younger than Ruby. That meant that Ruby was 22 years old and Jane was 20.

"Surprised, I thought you would take longer than I expected," Jane commented. Ruby didn't know how to respond to that, so she just gave a smile to Jane. Jane gestured her head to the hallway in front of Ruby.

"Let's head down. The old man is making breakfast downstairs in the kitchen," Jane turns around and walks in the direction of where the staircase is. Ruby watches for a few seconds and starts to follow Jane from behind. The dog... or rather Smile.Dog had already left Ruby's room during Ruby's shower.

"That dog, Smile," Ruby thought, her hands in her pockets, half of it sticking out, "It wasn't always with Slenderman. It had a family, an owner. A mother and a baby girl at the time, when Slenderman took Smile into his captive... Milo. And that woman. She... She looks so much like my mom."  
  
  


**· Ruby, that is your mother ·  
**   
  


Ruby beamed her eyes down at her feet and the floor. She exhaled deeply and thought, "I know. I was hoping you would not say that. And that baby... That is me." Ruby frowned. Amber was silent, but to Ruby, it was enough for her to know. "Slenderman tortured my mother, took Milo or Smile and changed him. Son of a..." Ruby didn't need to finish that sentence.  
  
  


**· Ruby, you need to calm down. As much as I despise this creature, he is not going to let us go until... it is satisfied ·  
**

Ruby stayed calm and relaxed. If she acted now, the possibility that she will successfully escape is very slim. Both Ruby and Amber knew the small possibility.

Ruby and Jane reached to the bottom of the stairs and turn the left corner which appeared to be the living room and the back seemed to be the dining room. Ruby's eyes were quickly laid to the 2 people on the couch talking to each other. They were not familiar to Ruby; Two men. The man who sat on the left of Ruby was taller, wearing a blue hoodie that went over his head. Ruby could not see the man's face but it was obvious it was a man. He had white bandages around his left arm. She could see the white cast as his arm was elevated on the side couch.

"I wonder what happened to him." Ruby thought.

**· That was me. Along with Jeff and Hoodie, they were the ones who kidnapped you. I kinda dislocated his arm badly ·**

Ruby sighed, "Why did you hurt him them so badly?"

**· Uh, why do you care now? ·**

Ruby blinked in astonishment. Why did she care? She could understand Jeff, but a man whom she never met: Why?

Next, to the tall blue-hoodie man, was another man. He had black hair which faded down to dark blue. He was shorter than the other man and he looked very relaxed yet tired. His head laid behind on the couch, which was shorter than his torso. So his head was facing the back of the room, where Ruby and Jane were passing. Ruby looked intently at the man's face. But Ruby wasn't looking at the man's face, because his face was covered with a white mask. There were details onto the mask. His mask had two red irregular circles, which formed two eyes and a red smile. Ruby found this weird yet curious. Then Ruby almost got a heart attack when the man gave a wave to her. Ruby immediately looked away from the two men and quickly walked next to Jane.

They turned another left corner and there was the kitchen. There, a tall man with a bald white head was baking pancakes. He flipped a pancake and instead of coming back onto the pan, it stuck on the ceiling and dripped back down on the pan. Laughter filled the room. The one laughing was of a little girl. Ruby could recognize girl; _Sally_. The little girl, Sally, was giggling away at _Slenderman's_ failure. Sally seemed to look the same as to when Ruby last remembered her appearance. Same outfit, same hair, same size. She didn't change. Was that the only thing she owned? If that is the issue, then it must be living on the outskirts of everything.

Besides Ruby, Jane was too chuckling at Slenderman. Ruby looked at Slenderman as he seemed to be staring at Sally and Jane. For some peculiar reason, Ruby... didn't laugh. Of course, failing at flipping a pancake would be hysterical, but Ruby wasn't feeling anything. Why was that? All Ruby felt was...

A **hollow** _shell_

"Ah, Miss Easterwood. I see you are awake." The voice appeared to be of Slenderman, directly to Ruby. Ruby blinked and realized that she had been quiet for about a couple of minutes.

"Yes, sorry," Ruby excused herself, "Just in deep thinking." Ruby gave a nervous laugh. Ruby scanned the room and saw all three were staring at her. Ruby couldn't read Jane's expression as she wore a mask, and to her dismay, nor could she read Slenderman's expression. But Sally is a different story. She had a face with no mask to cover her cute chubby chicks. Sally looked adorable. Her smile beamed the brightest in this room where her, Slenderman, Jane, and Ruby were in.

"No worries here, girl," Jane was the first to speak. Jane bumped her arm, giving Ruby a mild shock. Luckily, Jane had touched the clothes Ruby was wearing with her covered elbow.

**· How did you know that? _·_**

"Minor guess. I've read enough fiction books that used memory powers like this, to know small things." Ruby thought as Amber listened.

**· I see ·**

Jane continued to add more on, "You're not the only one who spaces out at random times."

"I DO NOT SPACE OUT! I JUST LIKE LOOKING AT WALLS!" A loud voice echoed through the house. It didn't come from the kitchen nor the dining room, where nobody appeared to be. It most likely came from the living room. Ruby looked at the entrance to the living room and there came a man, speeding our way. He stopped right in front of Jane, just inches away from colliding into each other.

"What the what is going on here?" Ruby thought over and over in her head. Ruby looked at Slenderman, who seemed to be busy with cleaning the ceiling where the pancake had splattered itself. Sally seemed to be preoccupied with talking to Slenderman about some teddy bear. Ruby glance once more at Jane and - the man who came jolting towards Jane - _Jeff_ before deciding to back away from those two. She decided that she didn't want to be apart of whatever they were about to do.

"Hey, you!" Ruby looked at the little girl calling her by the kitchen counter. Sally had stopped bothering Slenderman and was now trying to get Ruby's attention. Ruby stared at Sally and kept quiet. Sally just sat there on the high stool, with a such a huge smile plastered on her face.

**· Oh my... DO NOT STAND THERE LIKE A COMPLETE IDIOTIC PERSON, RUBY! ·**

And her legs were working all of sudden. They were walking towards Sally, and it wasn't when the legs stopped moving, that Ruby was standing beside Sally.

"Hi there, sweetie." Ruby gave a small smile. "Do you need anything?" Ruby asked. Sally giggled like a cute little kid. "What's your name?"

And without hesitation, Ruby answered, "My name is Ruby. What is yours, little one?" Ruby returned the smile to Sally.

"Sally!" Sally exclaimed in the cutest voice she was doing.

**· Aww, how sweet and bubbly. How is she living with these people? Does she even know that she is living with serial killers? ·**

"Oh, I think she does," Ruby commented to Amber. Ruby switched to thinking to speak, "What a lovely name you have, Sally." Ruby said. Sally closed her eyes and gave another smile.

Ruby looked at Slenderman, who seemed to have gotten most of the pancake that was dripping from the roof off. He held two plates that had stakes of pancakes just going up. Just seeing that many pancakes on two plates were just enough for Ruby to die there and then.

"There must be 40 pancakes or more on each plate." Ruby thought.

**· You are drooling, Ruby ·**

Ruby immediately closed her mouth and wiped away the saliva hanging from her mouth before anyone else could see. In the corner of Ruby's eyes, Sally was moving. And then, Sally's hand grabbed firmly onto Ruby's wrist. Ruby quickly gasped and motioned backwards. Ruby's eyes widened and waited for the inevitable. Then Ruby became frozen.

Milliseconds... Seconds... Minutes... Hours... But in reality, it was only 5 seconds. 

"Are you okay, Ruby?" Sally's voice brought back Ruby's movements. Ruby was utterly confused. She thought that her memory power would come again, seeing everything about Sally... But nothing. Nothing happened. What was the reason that this time, she didn't see Sally's memories? Ruby blinked multiple times, before slowly making small movements, moving forward so that Ruby was more balanced.

"Yeah..." Ruby muttered loud enough for Sally to hear her, "I'm fine. You just made me flinched there, is all." Ruby lied and covered it by faking a genuine smile to Sally. She seemed to have bought it and dragged Ruby to the dining table. Ruby sat next to Sally - Because Sally forced her to sit next to her with her adorable face - which was right in the middle of the dining room. Next to Ruby, Jane sat herself down and pushed her chair forward, making clutters of sounds on the wooden floors and the chair. It was not loud but was eerie. 

"May I ask what happened between you and Jeff?" Ruby asked as Jane made herself comfortable on her chair.

"Sure," Jane added, "He hates me making stupid stuff," Then Jane lowered her voice to whispering, "When in reality, it is the truth about Jeff." Ruby found this funny and smiled big time.


	9. First Day (Part 2)

The breakfast was quite moderate when Ruby sat there. Nevertheless, Ruby could feel the tension in the dining room as she ate. It was unsettling and nerve-racking. Though Jane & Sally kept Ruby occupied, Ruby could feel the eyes of others at her; Especially Hoodie. Even the pancakes Slenderman had baked were not delicious enough to suppress the tightness of the air between Ruby and Hoodie. Everyone else was not as vigorous as Hoodie was. Jeff was sitting diagonally across from Ruby to the right, talking to another girl. This girl seemed a look quite petite **(That's French for anyone who doesn't know)**. She had long black hair; enough for the top half to been covered. Ruby could recognize the petite girl: _Lulu._ Ruby remembered her from when she and the others cornered her, outside in the forest. To add more details to Lulu, she wore a stylish blue outfit that looked posh: A navy blue smock. She had white puff lacings on the end of her long sleeves and a turtle neck that looked tight on her.

On the other side (Diagonally across to her on the left), was a man with white messy hair, with a black beanie hat but longer, maybe longer than Santa's Christmas hat. He had full-on red eyes, including the sclera, pupils, & iris. Except for the pupils which were more of a darker red colour. His skin looked pale like he has not seen been in the sun for more than a decade. His outfit (Down to his chest as he was sitting down) was a small, black tunic shirt tucked in. They matched with the black pants he was wearing. He looked like the emo man from Sally's drawings, except less like the emo guy from Sally's drawing.

"Ruby Easterwood," Slenderman finally spoke up. Everyone became quiet. Ruby looked at Slenderman who was opposite her. They all looked at Slenderman and waited for him to speak.

"Would you like to tell a bit about yourself to everyone?" Slenderman added, "You are staying with us for the next month or two. We would like to know what you are and who." Ruby took what Slenderman said aback. She wasn't thinking Slenderman would have asked of that. Or in any circumstances: Anyone.

"I... Um," The food on her plate had gone cold by the time she had forgotten about it. Ruby blinked a couple of times before she could think straight. "I guess, sure,"

"I guess I should start with my name. Ruby Easterwood. I am 22 years old and I study at a Literature University. I'm in my last year of studies, but they have started this month." Ruby began.

"I like to read books, especially supernaturals or something along the lines of magic and adventure. I don't read Harry Potter though, it's not my cup of tea. More like Skullduggery Pleasant and Demon Road. They're good books. I also read classic books as well; The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Moby Dick-"

"HAHA!" Someone exhaled in laughter, which made everyone in the room to flinch, except Slenderman. Everyone looked to the source of laughter, and without a doubt; It was Jeff.

"She said Dick," As Jeff continues to snicker away. Almost everyone in the room was antagonized and displeased. 

"Bro," A man beside Lulu spoke, "You're 20 years old. Grow up," He pointed at Jeff with the small knife. Half his face was covered with a white mask but was pushed up, revealing a human mouth.

"I will never grow up, you hear?!" Jeff exaggerated. Ruby could hear Slenderman sigh, which was very concerning to both Ruby and Amber

**· I wonder how in the world he does that? Without a mouth anyways ·**

"Yeah, I wonder that too," Ruby thought.

"You may continue, Ruby Easterwood," Slenderman gestured.

"I think I've said enough about me, that's almost everything about me." Ruby's arms position have changed from leaning on the table to be laid on her lap. Jane was silenced beside Ruby, as for Sally she was playing with her teddy bear but had stopped to listen to Ruby. Sally had the face of amazement. Sally seemed to be very interested.

"What is Skullduggery Pleasant?" She asked, her hands holding her face to a position. Her elbows were placed on the inside arm. Ruby took a glance at Sally and regretted it immediately. Sally was smiling so widely that it almost looked abnormal. Almost like Smile.Dog's smile, but with more emotion. Sally's smile looks like it came from an anime. And her eyes were big, not to mention. Ruby couldn't tell if she was to stay frozen or scream inside her head.

But instead, Ruby replied to Sally question, "It's a book about magic and mythical creatures. But I'm not sure if you're too young to read it."

Jane leaned forward to Ruby in her ear, "Actually, Sally's is one of the oldest residences to be living here. When I got here, she was already here long ago." Jane stopped whispering. Ruby stopped smiling and looked back at Jane. Jane's mask was back again, and she, again, was smiling. Ruby indicated her eyebrows up, her mouth just inches open.

"You being serious?" Ruby questioned. Jane nodded. Ruby looked at Slenderman and saw her gaze. Slenderman and Ruby kept staring at each other until Slenderman just simply shrugged and continued to read the newspaper in his hands.

**· Okay, I have many questions. First of all, how does Slenderman get the newspaper? Like, it even says it is today's newspaper. And second of all, HOW IN EUPHORIA IS SALLY A CHILD IF SHE IS ONE OF THE OLDEST PEOPLE TO LIVE IN THIS EUPHORIAN MANSION?! ·**

Ruby looked back at Sally who had gone back to whispering nonsense to her teddy bear. Ruby stopped giving a face and smiled little. Everyone else had begun chatting again, leaving Ruby to talk with Sally and Jane. They both were very polite, nevertheless being freaky psychopaths, they have a heart. Which was odd to Ruby. Jane told her stories of her killings and all that. Ruby knew most of them since they involved Jeff, and Ruby had memorised most of Jeff's memories. An example would be of when Jane was kidnapped by Jeff and killed her mom and dad. Ruby thought that Jane would become very emotional since Jeff did kill her parents. But instead, she remained calm and continued talking. Ruby found this to amaze her; For one, if someone killed her mother, she'd become very emotional about it, to the point where Ruby would probably cry. That is what Ruby would think.

On the other hand, Sally would talk about her teddy bear, which was just a plain brown stuffed-bear. Sally said that ' _he_ ' was a very special person. She would ask a question and place her ear in front of the stuffed bear's mouth like it was real and was actually whispering to Sally. Ruby found this to be funny and laugh inside her head, whilst on the outside, she just continued to smile. When breakfast was done, Slenderman ordered a man named, Masky, to wash the dishes. It was a rule that every week, one person must wash the dishes once. Today was Tuesday, so it was Masky's turned to wash the dishes. But sometimes, it will change every month so that everyone has to wash the dishes. Besides Masky, had already left the dining room and gone to do their thing. Ruby was not entirely sure on what to do since she was the newbie and didn't know her way around the mansion yet.

**· Maybe we should go explore the mansion. And when I say we - ·**

"You mean I?" Ruby cocked her eyebrow up as she got up from her seat. Everyone had scattered off in different directions.

**· Tomato, Tomato. They're both the same things ·**

Ruby rolled her eyes but was smirking. A faint tap struck her left shoulder. She turned around and saw a tall person standing behind her. Ruby moved her head to see a familiar face, with a wide grin and eyes with no lids. Their scorched black hair was ruffled and messy. It was like they just woke up.

"Oh hey there, Jeff," Ruby gleamed.

"Hey, Ruby. You look lost," Jeff said. Jeff was not wrong.

Ruby was very lost. "Yeah, I am lost. What do you guys normally do?"

Jeff replied, "Well," Stuffing his hands in his pockets, "When I'm bored, I hang out with Link to play video games," Ruby tilted her head to the side. Ruby knew who that was, but she needed to look like she didn't know him. "Who?"

"Oh right, he's the guy with white hair and black clothing. The one with red eyes," Jeff explained, "He is called Dark Link, but everyone just calls him Link." Ruby exclaimed an "Oh" longly.

Jeff continued, "And if I find that boring, I go out and start killing people."

"I see," Ruby muttered. Ruby would've found this disturbing, but now it was just... normal. Why was that? "And what about the others?"

"They do their thing. I believe Sally plays tea parties with some people. If I were you, don't say no to her. She'll use her bear," Jeff cautioned.

**· I think Jeff has lost his marbles ·**

Ruby ignored Amber's comment and continued to stare at Jeff in confusion. "Right..."

"Masky and Hoodie sometimes play cards in the living room or just train in the backyard. Jane does her own thing outside the mansion and B.P goes to his room on the third room," Jeff added, "B.P is Bloody Painter with black and blue hair. Lulu and Jack go to the library to read. Smile follows Slenderman everywhere and Slenderman is usually in his office."

"Okay. That sounds like a handful to remember." Ruby admitted.

Jeff shrugged. "Just something I do when I get extremely. Which is never." Ruby giggled.

"Whatever you say, Jeff the killer." Ruby exasperated, "How's your arm?" Ruby said as they both walked into the living room.

They both sat on the couch, Ruby sitting on the edge as Jeff sat on the couch on the end, beside Ruby. "It's alright. Feels annoying at some points, but I get by."

Ruby still felt bad. About that night. Even if it was Amber who attacked them. Jeff could see Ruby's horrid expression. "Hey, how about I teach you how to fight? It's not like you need it, but it will still be good for you." Jeff announced.

"Train?" Ruby repeated the word. She was taken aback, but in a good way. A smile had plastered on her face. "Why not?"

Ruby bittered her decision to accept Jeff's question. Ruby was already gritting her teeth. Ruby was put down to the floor the seventh time. Jeff had proposed to train Ruby today before lunch. Ruby was hoping he'd go easy on her: But no. He didn't. Jeff didn't even sweat. To Ruby, Jeff seemed to have it easy. But for Jeff, it was a disappointment. He wanted a fair battle, against Ruby. Since Ruby had easily put down Jeff the night 'Ruby' fought him, Hoodie, & Jack, he wanted another try. But Ruby...

"I don't know if you're going reaaalllyyyy easy on me, that you let me win, or this is really genuine and you don't know how to fight. Heck, my arm is a cast and it's my good arm too." Jeff admitted. Ruby growled low. She wasn't annoyed at Jeff. Ruby was just really annoyed at herself. Maybe she should've taken her mom's offer to go to karate classes when she was 16.

Jeff let go of Ruby. Ruby lay on the grass, her back showing. She slowly got up and breathed slowly but deeply. In her left hand, she held a combat knife. It was supposed to be effective, but to Ruby; Ruby was useless to the knife. She also had another combat knife, clipped to the back of her pants. But not even once has she used it.

"Okay. How about this," Ruby exhaled through her heavy breathing, "You teach me how to train from the beginning. From the basics."

Jeff blankly looked at her, but then shrugged, "Alright. I guess you have a point. Because you really suck at combat." Ruby huffed out through her nose, like a horse. "But still, I'm curious how you were able to put me and Jacky boy in bandages and here you are. Who can't even land a correct punch."

"Shut up," Ruby grumbled as they both walk to the punching bag beside the house. The wind outside was still and moist. It was warm, which was odd for it was September. The trees were peaceful, not a single twig, not a single branch, not a single leaf or trunk moved. The trees were like frozen in time. The sun above Ruby, Jeff, and the mansion shines bright, wondering what colour it shines: Yellow or White?

"Punch the bag," Jeff commanded. Ruby nodded to Jeff as he was next to the punching bag. Ruby looked at the bag for some time before she went into a battle stance; A copy of Jeffs'. She bent her knees down, standing sideways as she curled her hands into a ball. With all her might, she used her right arm to punch the bag straight, hardening her fist before landing a hit. She quickly moved her fist back to her side.

To Ruby's awe, the punching bag swayed back and forward. Ruby was proud, she was able to punch-

"OOWWW!" Ruby's eyes widened as she used her other hand to cover her wounded fist. The fist she used to punch the bag hurt vigorously. Jeff shriek in laughter. Ruby stumbled a bit back.

"What the hell! What kind of material is that freaking punching bag?!" Ruby proclaimed. Jeff howled more, having his hands at his stomach. After a lot of childish swearing and laughing their butt, the door to leads inside the mansion, opened widely. Ruby stopped complaining, Jeff stopped laughing - Trying to hold it in - and looked at the opened door. They saw a man, taller than Jeff outside standing on the grass, folded arms leaning on his side. He wore a white mask which came along black features - Eyes, mouth, and even eyebrows - and to top that with messy brunette hair. He just wore a white shirt, matched with brown pants, and black combat shoes. Ruby couldn't see if the man was looking at her or at Jeff... or both. Maybe both. What looked really fluky were the knife scratches on his arms.

**· They look identical to the ones on your arms ·**

"You're right," Ruby thought curiously, "Why does he have those?" Ruby looked back at her arms. She wasn't in pain with the scratches, but they were noticeable.

"Hey, bro," Jeff waved in pleasure and joy, "What's up? Why do you have scratches on your arms?"

"Some of us have been watching you and Ruby fighting. And uh-" He coughed and paused for a brief moment, "We're starting to get knife wounds on our arms. And they happen for no reason. But they happen when you attack Ruby. So could you stop for a little while?" Masky explained. Ruby and Jeff looked at each other in confusion, brows furrowed down. Jeff gulped down his saliva and nodded to Masky. Ruby was still looking at Jeff. She had never seen him so serious. The boy she knew long ago was goofy and very happy with his life. But now, when she looks at Jeff, she sees a **איש שבור**.

"Remarkable," Slenderman said. Everyone was in the medical room. And everyone had wrapped bandages on their arms. There were some who didn't need bandages as they were able to heal their wounds; Slenderman, Dark Link, and Sally. The others were in need of wraps. Ruby was still not sure about her knife wounds. They didn't hurt at all. Another odd thing to add to her list of oddness. As Eyeless Jack and Dark Link were helping Jane, Hoodie, Lulu and Bloody Painter with bandaging their arms, Slenderman was explaining the situation.

"It appears that because of Ruby being the new Guardian Mother, she holds more of a strong power within herself." Slenderman said.

"Meaning?" Jeff replied.

"Meaning," Slenderman emphazised, "If Ruby were to be injured, others would also be in harm. The same wounds, same pain," Ruby was leaning against the wall next to Slenderman, her left arm holding her right elbow up that held her right cheek.

**· It seem to be right ·**

"But what about Ruby's mother?" Dark Link butt in after helping Bloody Painter. Ruby stopped to think of Dark Link's question. "What does he mean by my mother? Does he know something I don't? Did he know my mother? How old is this creature?" Ruby frowned upon her questions and Dark Link's question. This got her to think more and more of these creatures.

"Ruby's mother, Hope Easterwood, is a different scenario," Slenderman replied, "Mrs Easterwood was not able to control that kind of will in her power. As for Ruby, she is."

"Why is that?" Ruby questioned.

"It matters on your Health and Well-Balance in your body," Slenderman answered back. Ruby frowned again. Slenderman could see her confusion. "Something the matter, my dear?"

**· Here he goes with the 'My Dear' ·**

"Yes, actually," Ruby added, "My mother wasn't ill or diagnose with anything. So, if she wasn't able to hold the kind of will I have, then what is the case for my mother?" Ruby said.

"Actually," Dark Link butted into the conversation, "Your mother was diagnosed with a type of disease." Ruby shook her head back. Ruby kicked herself off the wall gently and looked at Dark Link in curiosity. She tilted her head to the left of her side just slightly and her jaws were clenched together.

"Really?" Ruby as she crossed her arms. Dark Link leaned back on the bed that Bloody Painter was sitting, hands halfway in his pockets. His white hair just somewhat covered his eyes, but Ruby could see his glowing, red eyes nonetheless: They were confused.

"Is there something he knows? He definitely knows something, that's for sure. But the look on his face, it's like I'm supposed to know something too," Ruby thought.

"Hope never told you?" Dark Link said. Ruby shook her head, gesturing a 'No' towards everyone in the room who could see.

**...**

"Hope was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 8"


	10. Chapter 10

_"Hey, mom?" I asked her as she quietly read her book, opposite me in the living room. I was writing in my diary about many silly stories I made up. I remembered dreaming about it and I got excited._

_My mom stopped reading, left a white bookmarker on the last page she read before closing the book to look at me, giving me a bright smile. She hummed a tune, telling me that she heard me say her name. She placed the book on the table that stood in between me and my mom. She relaxed on the couch, her legs spread out on the couch and her arms resting on the armrest. She didn't slouch her back, but rested her spine back on the couch, making her body structure carefree and tranquil._

_"You never told me what happened to dad?" My voice was deep and straight-forward. I didn't mean to, it's just that... Mom has never told me about him and I don't remember him. I'm old enough to know now._

_Mom still smiled, not breaking an inch; No flinch either. She looks like she knew I was going to ask her this question and prepared herself... Mentally **&** Physically. But soon but surely, she broke down her smile, little by little. She breathed in and out, slowly and steady. Mom shuffled a bit, making herself tall and sitting properly. Her hand lay bare on her covered lap, and her eyes were looking away from me._

_"I guess you're old enough to know what happened to me and your father," I could hear her say. Her eyes finally met mine, staring infinitely until I could see her mouth moving._

_"Before you were born, your father was working very late, and I was home with your grandmother. I was pregnant with you just about a couple of months. I was so thrilled about having you that I didn't realize how bad the weather outside had become. It wasn't until the next morning, a police officer along with their car rolled by our house." She didn't need to finish that sentence to tell me what happened to my dad. But..._

_"Mom..." I murmured. She could see the tears in my eyes._

_"Why do you lie?"_

"Here you go, my dear," Ruby was sitting down on a chair. The chair that resembled the same chair she sat on, in the dining room, the only difference between the two are that they are not in the same location. This is a replica, as it's located in a much tinier room, filled with bookshelves and books inside those bookshelves on every wall, except for one wall, as the outside light was projected into the room: The window. It took most of the space on the wall.

Ruby looked up to Slenderman who was holding a pair of small, hand-size black gloves, all with five fingers and no more or less. Slenderman held the two gloves on only one hand, as he stretched down to Ruby's eye level, below her head but above her lap. Ruby was both confused and unaware of Slenderman's actions.

Ruby examined more of the gloves; There seemed to be nothing more, it covered all five fingers and her entire palm and hands. No traces of any other linings with different colour whatsoever.

She looked back at Slenderman, one eyebrow raised. He could see the confusion in Ruby's eyes. If he could, it was like he could read her mind.

"Ah, let me explain," Slenderman continued, "These are gloves, specialized for you. All hand made," The gloves on his hands lay frozen still.

"Should I dare ask who made them?" Ruby admitted out loud. Ruby could hear Slenderman chuckle out, but the mouth was still not visible.

**· How unfortunate ·**

"Why must I have these?" Ruby changed the subject. The previous question was rhetorical. 

"The gloves are for you, so you do not have troubles making contact with others by seeing unneccessary things," Ruby found the term _'unnecessary'_ profound. Not quite the word she would've used. But Ruby **and Amber** knew what he meant.

Slenderman added, "Until you can control your powers and abilities to the fullest, you will use those gloves for the time being," he added on, "And by tomorrow, you will have proper training."

"I'm sorry," Ruby said, "Training?"

"Of course. You didn't think that you would stay here without any training. You'll learn how to fight." Slenderman said as he went back to his normal height: Extremely tall. Ruby held the gloves tightly like it was her lifeline. She examined her newly made gloves, feeling the softness and the roughness graze her fingertips.

**· I mean, that is not so bad. At least you would not need me all the time when you are in trouble ·**

...

"I guess you're right," Ruby spoke to Amber and Slenderman. She smiled...

In different ways.

Ruby walked back to her 'new' room. Ruby didn't pay attention to anything else, as she was distracted by the images in her head. They were clips of Smile.Dog's life; At least, the part where it was protecting the baby version of Ruby from Slenderman. She walked in silence, ignoring anything that wasn't inputted in her head or anything that didn't belong to the clips of the Smile.Dog's memories.

_{ You're alright, Milo }_

_{ You're going to be okay }_

_{ Stay here and don't hurt yourself anymore then you are, okay? }_

_{ Can you promise me that?_ _}_

_**{ I promise }** _

_The mother gently picked up the dog's head and laid it carefully on the floor,_ _the sector where the blood had not reached. The wound on the dog's side was horrifically open. The blood coming out from the wound and rapidly increasing. And as the dog moaned and whined, it did not help. The mother did not have any medical supplies on her, or have the skills to cover the wound; The wound was too big to cover it at all._

_The mother stood up and faced the slim man and its proxies. She walked up to him and looked right at his face. And though it didn't have any eyes, the mother could see right through the repulsive monster. Although the mother was trying to hold the tears back, she gave a revolting look._

_She curled her fists._

_{ Fine. I'll do what you fucking want }_

_{ Just leave them alone }_

"Uh, R-Ruby?" Ruby snapped out of her mind. She looked up. She expected to be right in front of her door; however, she wasn't. Ruby was facing a man; much taller than her. He seemed to be rather taller than Jeff.

"He seems familiar," Ruby thought. Ruby didn't even recognise how close she and the man were until she saw her left hand on his chest.

"Ah!" She exclaimed, immediately taking her hand away, "I'm so sorry." Ruby took a few steps away from the man. The man slouched a little, making him a little shorter; however still taller than Ruby. 

"Forgive me," Ruby continued, "I was zoning out. Thinking about stuff," Ruby messed with the back of her hair. She studied the man's face. Unfortunately - like most of the other people who live in the mansion - he wore a mask: a white mask. With two, irregular circle-like eyes and red gross smile. The mask's smile looked like a kid drew on it with paint, and didn't let it dry. Meaning, the red paint dripped under.

**·** **Hm, it could be effective to scare people. However, he may not be able to scare children ·**

"It's alright," The man said. It was total silence after that. The air between Ruby and the man felt intense. Ruby continued to mess her hair, that it soon turned to a giant furball that clutch Ruby's back head. And the man in front of her just seemed to be still. Not making any small movements; besides from breathing in and out.

"I believe this is the most absolute awkward moment I have ever been in." Ruby thought. She had an audience: Amber

**· I agree with your case. However, it is not for my case ·**

Ruby wanted to roll her eyes. But, she didn't want this man to notice and get weird vibes.

"So, what do you need?" Ruby asked. The man kept looking at her.

"Oh, Slenderman wanted me to tell you that I'll be the one training you," He said. And then his voice could be recognised to Ruby. This was the Bloody Painter that Jeff mentioned. He is also the one sitting on the couch; The guy that leaned back on his head and waved to Ruby.

**· I must say that I thought he would look different. More cliche looking ·**

"Can't say anything different," Ruby thought.

"Alright then," Ruby spoke to Bloody Painter, "Just so that I'm correct, are you Bloody Painter?"

He didn't respond at first, but neither did his body movements. It didn't flinch nor move from the original movements. Almost as if he knew that Ruby was going to ask.

"It's just that Jeff told me about the people here," Ruby made it clearer, "He said your name and described how you look. And that some people call you B.P?"

Bloody Painter nodded, "That's true. But I prefer people calling me Painter instead of that stupid nickname. It sounds like a childrens' food instead."

**· I can see what he means ·**

"Okay then," Ruby cheered, "Do you want me to call you Painter, or your full...?" Bloody Painter leaned on his left hip, his left arm doing the same.

"I don't mind either. They're both fine." Ruby nodded along to Bloody Painter.

And the awkward silence was back now. However, it stayed the same intensity. But Ruby couldn't know if Bloody Painter was feeling the same vibe as well. Ruby felt the need to say that she needed to tell him that he was standing in front of the room. But she thought it was rude.

"How do I tell him that he is standing in front of my door?" Ruby thought as she croaked a smile at him: He didn't respond to it.

**· Well, you can just tell him that he is standing in front of the door. Or you can just shove him out the way ·**

"You're a very bad person, you know that Amber?" Ruby kept on smiling as she wanted to stop.

**· What can I say? I AM a demon ·**

"You said you were a different demon?!" Ruby almost wanted to scream it out loud.

"You alright there?" Bloody Painter was the first to break the silence between the two. Ruby stopped smiling, realizing how much of an idiot it would have probably looked to see her smiling for a constant minute.

"Yeah," She exhaled, "It's just - you - uh - You're in front of the door I need to go through," As she continued to speak, Bloody Painter looked behind him and saw the door.

"So-"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that there was a door behind me. My apologies," He scrambled in his wording as he looked back at Ruby. He stepped aside, away from the door and wander off the halls. Ruby watched him as he went off into the side of the corner. The back of his head just denoted more hair; black with midnight blue highlights, all scruffy looking going down. The black strap going across the middle of his head that held the white child-like mask could be seen from the distance. Another note to add was that he had such a pale skin colour; almost like the colour white from a piece of paper.

"It's kinda odd. His skin colour is so abnormally white. Unlike Jeffs' of course. But, still." Ruby muttered.

Ruby laid on the bed, her back leaning on the wall behind her. Her thumbs fiddling with the material of the Rayon or Satin gloves. And though she didn't like the material of the gloves, they were Ruby's only hope to not make contact without seeing those memories.

"What should I do now, Amber?" Ruby asked. However, not out loud so that no one could hear her. Ruby was smart enough to know that someone could stand outside and listen in on Ruby's plans. Nobody knows about Amber, of course, but it still wasn't smart to speak her mind out loud.

**·** **What do you mean, Ruby? ·**

Ruby takes a pausing moment, "About my next decision to make. Should I try to escape? Or should I wait a bit longer?" Ruby laid out the options, "On one hand, these are people who can kill me at any second. If they wanted to, they can barge in here and kill me on the spot."

**· That is not going to happen to you. I will take control and kill them myself if they do ·**

Ruby smiled at the thought. Amber slaying them with her bare hands. She had one image of Amber easily taking someone's head off their neck.

"That's thoughtful of you," Ruby thanked, "However, I'm worried that you'll get hurt. And I'm not talking about Jeff or Hoodie. Or any of them, to be honest."

**· It is Slenderman, is it not? ·**

Ruby blinked, looking down at her bed. The bed that would be hers for a couple of weeks.

"That creature isn't just a creature," Ruby said, her eyes darkened, "It's a monster. It ruined my mother's life. If it wasn't for it, maybe I would've had a normal life."

**· Alright, alright. I can see your point. But what is the other decision? ·**

Ruby huffed, "Well, I can't escape. If I did, it wouldn't be smart too. Having no knowledge of anything or anyone here. What their strength and weaknesses are. Perhaps know a few self-defence and attacks. Proper ones. In case, if you can't fight for some reason, I at least know how to fight. Can't always rely on you, can I? If something was to happen to you, I'll be left defenceless. So what other way than to train? Anyways, I could learn many things here. What's really going on, and who these people that were _going to kidnap me_ initially," She emphasized on the words 'kidnap me' with air quotes.

**· Not a bad idea. Let's start with one right now ·**

"What do you mean?" Ruby furrowed her brows.

**· Let's start off with the presence in the room behind us ·**

Ruby was confused, "Probably just sleeping in the room behind us. You never know,"

_{[[You sure about that, Ruby?]]}_

Ruby flinched,

"The hell?"


	11. Another Presence

**Meanwhile; 9:10pm**

He watched the master, writing away on the paper; on and on and on. The master never looked away, never broke its gaze, nor did it even flinched its body. The only thing that the master used was its arm, hand and fingers. With the pen in between the master's fingers, it wrote away.

He laid his head on his arm and kept watch of the surroundings. From outside, he could hear the thunder and lightning. The screeching of the window that came from the twigs, swinging slowly up and down; It wasn't pleasant, he grumbled lowly. Addition to the living, scratching twigs, came the pitter-patter of the raindrops on the windowsill. Though he hated the sound of the twigs, he loved the sounds of the raindrops. He found it soothing to listen to them. They're like secret patterns and rhythms from a song. You might not hear it but it's there.

The bookshelves seemed symmetrical to him. However, he looked more tentatively, he could see that all the books were different; Different in sizes and colours. Length and positions. He could see one book that was leaning off to the right, it's head on the wooden board. The one book seemed to be grey with mixtures of other colours, but he could not identify them to himself. He counted that there at least fives shelves, perhaps holding more than 350 books. He always counted the books out of boredom since all he did was sit on his bed and wait. Until the master called to him. Ordered him to do something

His eyes gazed back to the master, which he caught the master's head looking up; Towards him. The master had stopped writing; probably because of him. 

If he could, he would flinch; surprised and shocked.

"You seem to be troubled, Smile," The master says, "What is it? Is it Ruby Easterwood?"

He picked up his head, shifting his paws around, pointing directly at the master.

_**"The girl is off, master. She acts like this is normal. Don't you think that's odd?"** _

He started panting. The master put down the pen and placed both his hands behind the desk, not visible to his vision.

"What have you learned, Smile? If you know something," It paused, "Then you know you need to tell me."

He was quiet. However, the master was waiting for him to answer. Either way, he had no option.

**_"This morning, I was watching the girl sleeping. In case she tried to escape once again. She woke up a few hours after I watched her. She looked peaceful. That girl doesn't know how bad the circumstances are."_ **

"Smile," The master spoke, but its voice was more assertive and low. He knew that he was getting off the topic.

**_"She didn't know I was in the room so I moved next to her bed, where she noticed me. The girl didn't touch me, but I could tell she wasn't afraid of me. Something was holding her back. She turned around but then, she turned stiff. Almost as if she was frozen, she didn't move. I found that weird. I wanted to bark at her, but then Jane came into the room after. I slipped out of the room before Jane noticed me."_ **

The master was silent. And though he didn't say anything, its silence bugged him. Its silence could mean anything, due to the fact the master had no face.

However, his fear of the master being angry grew more, as the master stood up, the chair pierced the wooden floors. He kept his fear in darkness and kept a brave dog face. The master walked slowly to the left, his whole body now visible to him. It stood there, its legs far apart.

Sometimes he wondered if the master was ever scared. Or in fear of anything or anyone.  
The master never showed. He knew why;

Because it knew how to make people suffer.

_**So why would it know the emotion of fear?** _   
  
  
  
  


**...**

_{[[ You sure about that, Ruby? ]]}_

"The hell?" Ruby burst out. But not loud enough that it wasn't a scream. She didn't realize how intense her conversation was with Amber, that she wasn't even speaking the words.

It was quiet. The voice wasn't there anymore. Perhaps it was all in her head. She turned around, facing the wall. Of course, Ruby wasn't stupid; Walls couldn't talk. But perhaps it was whoever was on the other side of the wall: The room next door to the left in the hallway. Ruby sat on a kneeling position; her knees were used as her feet as her back stood straight. Slowly, she moved forward - not moving her knees, only her upper body - and placed the palms of her hands onto the creamy white walls. She spread her fingers to get a good grip on the wall. With her right ear, she gently leaned into the wall.

...

Waiting...

Waiting...

However, nothing came out. No sound, no noise, no pin drop, and certainly no voice that sounded of a man.

"I think I'm starting to hear things now," Ruby thought, "I'm definitely going insane." Ruby emphasized on the word 'definitely'.

_{[[ I wish I was too. But no, I am not ]]}_

"CHEESE DIPS!!" Ruby jumped backwards. She pushed herself off the wall. Perhaps too harsh, that she lost balance on her knees. Ruby fell backwards, stumbling her back onto the bed, almost hitting the wooden edge of the bed. Ruby rolled to her right, which to her surprise, tumbling off the bed and hitting the wooden boards rough.

Ruby grunted and she landed flat on her stomach, her elbows, as well, landing harshly on the wooden platforms. Her eyes were squinted, only seeing the darkness, and her teeth gritted each other.  
  


 **·** **Wow, you went down. How dramatic** **·**  
  
  
Ruby growled low, almost like a dog, that could sense danger.

"Shut up," Ruby murmured. Amber's satisfaction could be heard, as she gave a little laugh. Ruby could tell her anger was amusing to Amber; Ruby ignored Amber's amusement. Ruby got up slowly, first pushing her chest up with her hands and arms. She steadied her legs and pushed up, now standing in the room. However, she slouched her back, making her look shorter than she really is.

Ruby looked back at the wall as she walked to her bed. She stared too intently at it like something was going to pop out. Or like there was an invisible portal that Ruby could go through.

Well no. They were none of those theories. Or whatever you call them.

Now that Ruby was more aware, she blinked before she did anything else.

"Hello? Who are you?" Ruby thought.

**...**

_{[[ Who are you? ]]}_

"What?" Ruby spoke. She gave herself a confused face.

"I asked first," She thought.

_{[[ I found you first. Which means I ask the questions first ]]}_

"Uh," Ruby paused, "THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE!"

_{[[ Answer this question; Does anything, right now, make sense? ]]}_

"I..." She was too quiet to respond. Ruby gave it a thought, but before she could directly say her thoughts, he went first.

_{[[ You know it defeats the purpose of you thinking when I can hear your thoughts? How do you think we're communicating with each other? ]]}_

"I figure that," Ruby answered quickly.

**· Can they hear me? ·**

Ruby stayed quiet, trying not to think of anything. Though she knew this was hard, she tried to think of something else.

"Cheese dips isn't a thing.

If I had used a different adjective like arcadian, instead of innocent, I could've gotten a better grade than a B. It's eating me up.

If I'm a Virgo, what does that mean? To be honest, I like Taurus' than Virgos'. I'm definitely not a perfectionist. More like a procrastinator.

Wonder what kind of star signs Erisa is. She's born on March the 25th. So that means...

Woah, she's an Aries. Well, yeah I can see why she's an Aries, Erisa is too energetic. Also, it makes sense because she can not wait for like five minutes outside my house.

Hah, she had it coming.

Until I had it..."

_{[[ Are you okay? Or are you just incredibly insane? ]]}_

**· Seems like they can not hear me. It is just you, he can only hear ·**

"No doubt," Ruby reasoned. However, she was referring to Amber's idea. Not the voice's question.

_{[[ Alright then ]]}_

**...**

"So it seems that I'll be introducing myself first," The voice was quiet. Ruby continued nevertheless.

"The name's Ruby, Ruby Easterwood. I'm twenty-two however I live with my mom. I don't care what you might think, but I love my mom. She is the best single mom I have ever known. I go to University and study English Literature-"

_{[[ So you are her. The one Slenderman was looking for ]]}_

"Yeah, that is me," Ruby muttered.

_{[[ How is your mother, Hope Easterwood? ]]}_

"She is alright," Ruby thought, "My mom works as a partner in a company but she travels a lot because her partner also travels. They both decided that wherever there was an opportunity, they'd do it together. I don't mind. My mom has her own life. She has to live it."

**...**

"Did you know her?" Ruby said.

_{[[ For a short amount of time, yes. I did know your mother. ]]}_

"What..." She hesitated, "What was my mother like back then?"

_{[[ Your mother was one of the weirdest girls I have ever met in my life. That is all I am ever saying of your mother. ]]}_

"Well okay then," Ruby rolled her eyes, "I wasn't going to push further. But I will ask your name. Otherwise, I'm going to call you Bob."

_{[[ My name? Have they not told you of me? ]]}_

"No?" Ruby furrowed her brow, "Am I supposed to know?"

_{[[ Forget I asked ]]}_

_**· Well, that was weird ·** _

_{[[ My name is Shadow. I am at your service ]]}_

Ruby had her back to the wall, her knees bent as her arms laid on top. Ruby shifted her head to the side, her cheek now feeling the cold wall. And though she did not speak, her mind did not either.

"It's nice to meet you," Ruby added, "Shadow."

_{[[ It is a pleasure to meet you, daughter of Hope. Ruby Easterwood ]]}_

** 11:30 pm **

_{[[ Get some rest, seems that the day went by quick. And you will never know that tomorrow will be a change ]]}_

"How do you know?" Ruby said.

_{[[ Trust me. I have been a part of that family once ]]}_


	12. The 2nd Floor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, all the upcoming chapters will be based on Ruby's point of view (POV) with some exceptions of other views. I have been meaning to change this for a while now because of future purposes and twists. I hope that at some point, I will get to where I want to use this to my advantage. Also because the all-knowing narrator - a.k.a me UwU - does not suit well.
> 
> But anyway, that is all I wanted to say. I hope you do enjoy the chapter.

_The feeling of sitting in front of Amber gives me a sense of insecurity and stress. The fact that Amber is a demon, it did give her safety. Not just mentally, or emotionally, but also physically. If there was any danger brought upon her or anyone else, then she could have Amber take care of them. But, wouldn't that be running away from the problem? Almost like I'm letting others fight for my purposes and meanings? Maybe, it is. However, the feeling of having some safe on my side._

_If things start to go south._

_Amber does also have control of my body. If I fell unconscious, would she be able to take control? Most certainly. Amber did take control when I was drugged and kidnapped by them. I know that she hurt both Jack and Jeff, but at what cost? It didn't make a difference. In the end, we got caught, and Amber almost took it too far, almost revealing herself._

_How much do I really know of Amber? Is she a threat? Not just to the Slenderman and the others, but is she a threat to me? All I have known really about her is her background. What about her intentions? Is what Amber says truly what she says she is? What am I even saying? Of course Amber is. She is giving so much to me and here I am thinking she is a possible demon threat. This is what I'm giving back to her, theories and assumptions that are probably not even true._

_Although, why do I feel so anxious just seeing her? That moment when I first saw her, seemed to have faded away. Am I just more aware of her capabilities? Or is it just my paranoia? Perhaps._

_**"Are you alright, Ruby?"** I heard Amber's voice. I look at her, noticing her curiosity in her black sclera eyes. Her iris had no pupils, so there were only red pupils. Her eyes were dead. Was that the fact she died? Or was she always like this? _

_"Y-Yes, I'm fine," Crap. I stuttered, "I'm just thinking about what happened recently?"_

_**"You mean about yesterday?"** Amber was there, of course. She resides in my body. Amber is practically there every time, so I'm never truly alone with my thoughts and opinions. But what the heck, I don't care. She is good company._

_**"I do agree with you. I did not expect your mother to have been diagnosed with diabetes type 1 at the age of 8. Your mother always seemed to be healthy. The worst thing she had ever got was that she once had to stay in bed for a day."** _

_Amber was right. When I was 10, my mother fell very ill and had stayed in bed. At that time, Liu and Jeff still lived next door to me and so I went to their house and told them. Their parents came to my house and helped my mother. Liu's parents brought me to school and also picked me up from school. The whole day, I felt worried for my mom._

_Through my whole life, I have only prayed once._

_My mom and I never believed in God. Well, she never mentioned once about God unless she cursed, which was never so often. So it would make sense that I didn't know about God or religion too. I never knew about religious beliefs until I was taught in class in Middle school. A few days after my mom had gotten sick, the teacher was teaching religion in our second lesson. I remember that the teacher would call different religions, like Christian or Muslim or Buddism and everyone, stood up for their own religions. I watched as Erisa and Zach would stand up after the teacher had said, "Christian". They were very confused when I didn't stand up for anything._

_That was the only time I felt embarrassed about myself._

_For not knowing what religion I was._

_Fortunately, I wasn't bullied or mocked. Everybody was respectful to me, which made me feel a bit better. It made my day brighter, knowing I wouldn't be the laughing stock of my class. Erisa and Zach made it even better by telling me more about the different beliefs and Gods during recess._

_That day, my mom picked me up from school as she had finally gotten better. In the car, from the back seat, I recall asking my mom about our religion._

_She answered my question and that was the end of that discussion._

_"Yeah. It's a lot to take in," I exhaled, "Knowing your whole life you think your mother is well and perfectly healthy," I chuckled, closing my eyes and looked up, "The thing is, I never once saw any type of syringes in the house. Not once. Maybe she stashed them in her room, but I would've seen it. On top of that, my mother wasn't allergic to anything. So to find out that the mother you thought was healthy 24/7 was diagnosed with diabetes at an early age..." I stopped and got my breath back._

_"It makes my heart break a bit."_

_**"I am sorry,"** Amber spoke. I opened my eyes and stared at the black sky that looked like it kept going on for eternity. I straightened my spine and look back at Amber. She had been sitting next to me, watching my every move. As we sat, Amber was, indeed, the taller person. She sat in a posh way, with her back not slouching at all. Her legs were neatly crossed and her hands laid on her lap._

_I sighed once again, "My mother and I are very close. So to find out that she has diabetes, i-it hurts."_

_**"Do not blame so much on your mother. For all you know, she might have a valid reason as to why she hid this from you."** Amber suggested, **"Maybe, she did not want you to know because she did not want you to worry at such a young age. Diabetes type 1 can not be curable. It can only go into remission. Perhaps your mother was able to keep it on remission for a long time."**_

_I looked towards Amber. However, she looked away, only making me more curious about my question._

_"How do you know this?" I asked. Amber looked immediately to me. Her eyes looked confused, and yet her expression seemed to know what I was talking about._

_**"What do you mean?"** Amber replied. Either she was playing dumb or she genuinely doesn't know what I mean._

_"How do you know about diabetes?" I rephrase my question, "No offence, but I would have never thought diabetes was discovered in your world, considering you lived in an era with no technology and low knowledge of medicine." I laid the side of my head on my knees_

_Amber cracked a smirk, and little laugh under her breath. **"**_ _**None taken. I understand what you mean. In my world, we can use magic as a way of healing wounds or cuts. Some creatures could not possess that kind of power. Many creatures who possessed healing powers were used as healers in the help of our war. However, some wanted to study the arts of medicine. As they could not hold the power, they risk killing themselves and possibly others too."** _

_"May I ask what it was?" My eyes were widening as she spoke._

**_"Those that sought knowledge ventured away from their homes and have risked themselves out there from the humans. The most common creature that left for the knowledge of medicine was the_ ** **נגרמי גפ-"**

_I looked at her in confusion, however, she looked dumbfounded as well. Amber repeated the words, slurring her words more and more. Her voice started to sound glitchy, like static on the TV; I started to become a bit fearful of Amber. Not in the way that drove me to go away from her, but in a way that got me worried for Amber._

_"Amber?" I turned to her, concerned for her being. She looked so puzzled and so drowned into her own mind, not hearing when I called her name out. I went into a crouch position and leaned my whole body on my tiptoes. My elbows on my lap, I reached both my arms towards Amber._

_Once again, I spoke more stern, "Amber. Snap out of it."_

_But, instead, everything went black._

"Ruby! Wake up!"

I jolted upwards, flinched at the sudden unfamiliar voice. I could feel my heart rate increasing as well as my breathing too: I was hyperventilating. I breathed in and out through my mouth, trying to concentrate on it the most. I felt like I was in danger, even though I don't know why.

"Hey hey hey," My face being held between someone's hands. Both hands held my head and brought it to my left.

"It's alright," A woman's voice spoke, is what I could pick up instantly.

I looked at the woman's face. There was nothing that I could see quickly because of how blurry my vision was. However, I knew her hair was black-grey, based on the drastic lights. The sunlight from behind her body made a shadow towards where I sat.

As she spoke, my vision became clearer, "Focus on me, okay? Concentrate on getting your vision back." She, basically, read my mind, "Can you do that? No, don't look away from me. Just look at me and nothing else, alright?"

Her hair was in a high ponytail, with long strands of hair falling down the sides of her head. Her fringe going halfway down her that could not even see her eyes; practically hidden. he end of her fringe wasn't straight and instead left unnatural hair groups that separated each other. Her skin was reasonably fair - if not a bit pale - and her complexion were plumped and perfect. From what I could tell, she had now wrinkles nor signs of old age. The woman seemed like she had the skin of a baby.

My breathing went back to normal as well as my heartbeats.

I swallowed my dry saliva, "T-Thank you."

The woman smiled and let her hands slip away from my cheeks. I haven't realized that my hands held her upper arms. I immediately let go when I saw my hands on her.

The woman wore a blue lace dress; it was gorgeous. It stretched down to her thighs that came along with white stockings. You couldn't see her legs which made her look like an innocent person. Her long-sleeve wasn't laced material; they were silk that wrapped tightly on her arms. She didn't seem to bother with how they hugged her.

"It's not a problem," She stood straight, "Happy to help anyone. Especially when someone has nightmares."

"Nightmares?" I repeated the word like it was new to me. A word I have never said and yet I know it.

"Do you not remember what you were dreaming?" She asked.

I blankly stared at her and shake my head simply. The woman's smile faded away and she looked concern.

"Oh," She quietly said, "Well, I was walking past your room as I came from the balcony," To the right of my door as you came, there was a large balcony. You have a perfect of a trail that leads into the forest. The doors are sliding doors, making it easy for anyone to access the balcony with no trouble.

The woman continued, "And I could hear your tiny screams and groans. I knocked first and when you didn't answer, I let myself in. I saw you shuffling around the bed so I tried to wake you up."

"I-I..." What do I say to that? I already have a problem with stuttering, now how am I supposed to start a sentence?

"It doesn't matter," She spoke again, "Whatever you dreamt of, it's over." She sounded so sure of herself.

"Not to sound rude, but may I ask," I breathed out from my mouth, "Who are you?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" She giggled nervously, "My name is Lulu. Pleasure to meet you, Ruby." Lulu's hand was offered, her palm shown to the side. But to my surprise, she wore white gloves; something I didn't notice.

Why could she be wearing gloves? I thought.

I accepted her offer and shook her hand, "Again, thank you. You're my hero." Lulu held my hand very gently. Unlike some people who'd shake my hand tight.

A tiny red blush formed under her fringe and Lulu laughed cutely. I could tell she wasn't used to comments like mine. I have this feeling when someone is commented on their appearance or style, I know what kind of person they are based on how they'll react. In return, I gave her the biggest **·** **fakest** **·** smile to her.

**...**

As I got changed for the day, Lulu waited outside my door. She wanted to wait for me because apparently, no one was up yet. Lulu liked company but not with too many people.

 _One or two would be enough for me,_ I quote. I looked at the clock and saw how early it was: 6:37 am. Yesterday, when Jane woke me up, it was around 8:45, perhaps earlier. But I know it was somewhere around 8 o'clock.

How come Lulu was up early at this time? Does she not sleep or is it that she couldn't sleep anymore? Well, I'm also awake, I might as well join her. I can't bother to go to sleep. My mind is occupied with thoughts.

Not about Lulu only.

About Amber

Amber hasn't said nor spoken yet for the last 30 minutes that I have been awake. Yesterday, she spoke after 5 or 10 minutes when I woke up.

Yes, I lied to Lulu about not remember what I was dreaming, but for a reason. Though she seems like a nice person, deep down I know a part of me doesn't trust her yet. She may have saved me from whatever I was doing, but right now, the stakes are high to trust someone that quick. For goodness sakes, I'm in a mansion with a bunch of psychos, so why shouldn't she be one either? If I didn't know any better, Lulu covers her eyes and can still see and walk just fine.

If Lulu really was normal, then she wouldn't be here then. Lulu would have lived a normal life with her people, friends and lover if she had one. Fortunate for her that she wore a long sleeve dress. I wonder... why does she cover her eyes? Is there a purpose or not? Maybe there is. I put on a dark-red jacket which covered my arms and hid my body as well as the white shirt I was wearing underneath. It was light yet big so I was able to move around in it. I slipped on some black jeans that had... no pockets?

I hate jeans that don't have pockets. I feel weird, like where am I supposed to put my hands? I can't keep them on the side. I like my hands inside my pockets.

Besides the fact that I could've changed my jeans, I left them on me and flopped on a pair of trainers that lay near the entrance of my door.

Before I stepped out, I could hear Shadow's voice from the other side of the wall, behind my bed. I was stood next to my closet where I could hear him clearly.

He asked why I lied.

...

Of course, he can read my mind. However, why does he feel the need to know why? Shouldn't he know already why? Can he not hear some of my voices inside my mind? It would make sense as it ties in with him not hearing Amber. I shouldn't ask him nor should I tell him why either then. I still cannot trust him. But, can he still read my mind, even now as I think? How do I know what's what?

"I don't know what you mean," And I quickly walked out the room. I didn't want to hear what he had to say. 

**...**

"How come you're awake at this time of the hour?" I asked her. Lulu and I started making our way to the second floor. I haven't yet seen the second floor as I have always stayed on the first and ground floor.

"I'm an early bird. I like to be awake before everyone else is awake. Besides from our master, Slenderman, we all wake up around 8 during weekends. On weekdays, some people decide to sleep in. Slender doesn't mind, as long as they don't sleep in after lunch. For me, I always wake up early, no matter the day," Lulu explains. We make our way halfway up the stairs as I pop another question.

"How come you wake up early?" I asked as we made another round up the stairs again.

"It's a very old habit, but I guess it never died," She said.

We made it to the top of the stairs. In front of us were two wooden doors. Almost like the front door on the ground floor, even with the same colours. But, the handle to the door wasn't a knob. It had two metal grabs that were symmetrical to each other, meaning you had to push sideways inwards. Were these also sliding doors too? Like the ones on the balcony. I was puzzled; what was the point in blocking the whole place with two doors? Slenderman should've opened the whole room so that there is a flow. But, I didn't. I didn't want to come off as rude and obnoxious about Slenderman towards Lulu.

"Have you ever been up here before?" Lulu looked at me as she took a step forward. Simply, I looked at her with no expression. We continued to stare like that for about a couple of seconds. But to me, that didn't feel like seconds. It felt like days.

"I'm only asking because you look quite confused," She verified her sentence more. Lulu added, "C'mon, you're going to be flabbergasted when you see this." Lulu took my left wrist and dragged me across in front of the modern doors.

"Wait, before we go in," I stopped her before she could open the sliding doors, "Can I ask what's behind this door?" I know it's stupid of me to ask this now, but I need to be prepared to what's there to come from the other side of the door. Perhaps when Lulu opens the door, someone will ambush me and lock me away. Someone like Bry... I mean Hoodie would do that.

No, he wouldn't do that; Hoodie would kill me instead. Though he wears a mask, the red dots that resembles eyes, could tell me the truth. Not literally of course.

"Don't worry," Lulu smiled in between, "You'll see." But then she giggled. I didn't know whether to think it was cute or creepy. But, in the end, I chose to not show my scared expression. I was more curious as to what was on the other side.

Lulu opened the door, pushing them to the side.

The other side wasn't what I expected. The whole room was filled with different sunset shades of light coming from the windows above. The windows were huge by width. It covered all the walls from the top to the 1/8 of the walls. Below the windows, were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of bookshelves. And in the bookshelves, of every row and every column, were thousands of books. The bookshelves were all arranged in some kind of symmetrical order. They started on the side and stretch to the end. Some bookshelves stood alone, creating several rows. And on some them, there were several movable ladders that can sway side to side. In the middle were rows of tables, similar to the ones on the ground floor. Each table had three lamps that radiated a green filter. There were about 10 chairs on one table.

Wait...Tables?

Books...

Bookshelves...

Green Lamps...

I gasp, my eyes widened in such astonishment. I could hear a little giggle coming from behind me. I knew it was Lulu feeling amused at my reaction.

THEY HAVE A LIBRARY!?


	13. The Library

"Um, Ruby?" I could hear Lulu from the distance. Her voice was muffled, so I couldn't hear her properly. "What are you doing?" She asked.

I stayed still, soaking up the wooden smells from the books. I always loved the smells of library books. The wood carving of the books is so divine to smell. Besides lavender, I think the fumes are the best.

Silent as I was, I could hear another voice that wasn't Lulu's. The voice was more masculine and rough and deep; like a man. His voice seemed to be quieter than Lulu as she spoke. When it was Lulu's turn to speak, her voice too was quiet. But that didn't bother me. They could smack talk all they like. Judge me, giggle at me. Heck, say in front of me.

I am in heaven.  
  
  
  
  
  


**Lulu's POV**  
  


"What the hell is she doing?" I turned to see E.J standing beside me. He seemed confused after the sudden event Ruby had done. From where I was standing, Ruby was about 3 metres away. 

"To be honest, I have no idea. One minute, Ruby was admiring at the entrance, then the next minute, she sunk into the book pile."

In the library, we have a pile of books just dumped into the left corner of the room. It's been there since I've first arrived at the mansion a few years ago. Slenderman had hired a librarian to sort out the books. The librarian was a human in her late 20s; she - yes, the human was a woman - and she required money. She never said what the money was. I never got her name either. I just called her Libra, short for Librarian and also her Zodiac Sign is Libra. 

Libra was nice, unlike the others in the mansion. The others here are always cold, only keeping to themselves and ignoring everyone. Besides from Sally, no one wants to hang around with one another. Sally is the only exception because she forces us like Masky or Jeff to play with her. If we could, we wouldn't want to play with Sally. But Sally isn't sweet and adorable, she can be a brute when she wants to. And her teddy bear is the cherry on top of her.

Libra, on the other hand, was different from the others. She acted genuinely happy, which shocked me at the start because of who we are and what we do. Surprised Libra didn't call the police or didn't come back after. She stuck around for quite a while. Well, she did stick for about 3 months, about 6 months ago before Ruby arrived. I wish I could say Libra left and moved to Minneapolis in Minnesota as was her origin plan.

However, she didn't. Two days before Libra was supposed to leave her job, robbers had broken into her house. 

... Ugh, this is a bad idea  
  


**...**  
  


"Well, shouldn't we do something about her in particular?" I heard E.J stated beside me. I looked back at Ruby, slowly becoming one with the book pile.

"I know we should," I paused, "But I feel like we should leave her there, on the other hand." Ruby moved deeper into the pile, to where I couldn't anymore see her arms and hands. Her back is almost submerging under the pile and only her legs are sticking out. Her entire head and hair has gone missing and is lost under the hard wooden books with the furry papers to accompany her.

"We better get her out of the pile," E.J refused, "Slenderman needs her for her official training soon." If I had eyes, I would roll them and express my distaste for 'him'.

I walked closer to the pile on the side, where Ruby's right arm used to be visible. I bend down and reached forward with both my hands. As I scoured the pile to find something that belongs to Ruby's body - that, of course, is still attached to her - E.J went to the opposite side, reached forward and pulled out Ruby's other arm. I reached more forward and felt a warm feeling brush on my hand. It must be Ruby's arm.  
  
  
  
  
  


**Ruby's POV**  
  


I felt that I was being dragged upwards so that I was no longer faceplanted inside the books. I rose out of the pile, hearing the books scatter away in random directions. The pile grew wider and more books were scattered, making the pile shrink in height. I rose up very slowly, however, the blood that rushed to my head seemed to have changed as I could feel my head throbbing slightly.

I knew it was Lulu who had pulled me out of the pile. But I found it strange as she was able to pull me up with both my hands. Unless she can be at two places at once, I found it odd.

Instead, I ignored that and kept my eyes closed even when I could stand up. The grip on both my wrists had loosened and I couldn't feel the tension anymore. I lifted my left hand towards the side of my forehead.

"Ugh," I murmured, "My head."

"You okay, Ruby?" Lulu asked. I nodded my head, not looking at her. I opened my eyes, staring at the pile that once looked magnificent to jump into, like a ball pit. Now, most of the books were scattered.

"Don't worry about the pile. Knowing any of us, we won't care so much." I looked to Lulu, her hands together at the front of her body. My head wasn't throbbing anymore, meaning that it has subsided.

I felt something slightly heavy on my right shoulder, which made me yelp a little out of my skin. As soon as I yelped, the weight was lifted off. I turned my head to see a figure taller than me.

The figure seemed to be a man, perhaps a day no older than 24... or 20? I couldn't tell with the blue mask he wore. The blue mask had two black circular shapes to which they were placed where you would normally see eyes. Instead, there was nothing in the circular shapes. From the bottom of the black circles were water-like ripples stretching down. It's like water streaming down a hard surface or like tears rolling down a person's cheek. But it was also black. So it was like looking at a silhouette of someone crying.

He wore a black hoodie that just covered the top of his head, somewhat revealing the brown hairs coming out of his hoodie. His whole hoodie was black, except what was in the middle: in big words, NASA. It was inside a blue circle with tinier white circles that accompanied NASA.

"He has a nice Nasa hoodie," I thought. 

The sleeves to his hoodie covered his whole arm, but not his hands. They were grey. Weird. Grey hands. He must not be human, then.

Is it strange to say that being surrounded by... uh, creatures make me feel better? No, that's not the right word. It makes me feel normal? Yeah, that's the correct term.

"Oh sorry," He spoke. His voice was just like what I heard when I was in the pile. He must have been the one talking to Lulu.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to know if you're okay." This guy really is a gentleman.

I smiled, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

"His name is Eyeless Jack," Lulu said. Eyeless Jack showed his right hand out, offering a handshake. I gladly offered and shook his hand.

"You can call me E.J or Jack for short. Either is fine," Eyeless Jack added onto Lulu's introduction.

I let go of Eyeless Jack's hand, "My name is Ruby, but I guess you already know that. It's nice to meet both of you." I looked at E.J, then at Lulu. Lulu smiled, genuinely. At least I think she did.

"Not to sound rude, but what is it like to be creatures?" I asked.

Ever since I laid my eyes on books about the supernatural beings, I was instantly fascinated. How each creature has different flaws and characteristics they obtain. What makes creatures... well I guess creatures. Let's take an example, demons. Ironic, a demon soul is sharing my body. Demons are supposed to be evil, ruthless and downright bad. They are not supposed to be good. Demons are what we will become after we die: Hell. Unless you have done good deeds your whole life, people will go to heaven. But I have heard some speculations about angels turning into demons. If that's true, it would explain Amber. Amber is a demon, but she goes against all codes of being a demon. Maybe she used to be an angel, and somewhere down her path, Amber was convicted of doing some wrongs. 

But then again, she could have been a demon her whole life. Perhaps, in her... world? There are different beliefs and traditions. What if demons are seen as the good creatures and angels as the bad from where Amber came from?

Lulu looked shocked, taken back. But she smiled, "Well, I guess there is nothing different to how I used to live. It's true we're creatures and we used to be humans. But from where I see, they're just small changes and adjustments to my life." She messed with her long bangs with both her hands. Lulu opened them in the middle, like a show curtain sliding sideways, revealing her the upper half of her face. I was taken aback, not expecting what would hide her the other half.

Her eyes weren't... there. All there was, was two circular hollow sockets. However, her sockets weren't all black. Instead of her eyes, there was red liquidy water running around the holes. They weren't coming out and seemed to be fixated inside. It was like staring at a bottle that had fizz inside.

I could feel my eyes widen, both astonished and surprised, "Wow, your eyes."

"I was seventeen when I lost my eyes," Lulu explained, "An... accident happened that involved losing both my eyes. Then I was abandoned and dumped somewhere isolated. After some time, Slenderman found me and took me in." Lulu put her hair back into position, hiding once again her eyes.

"I'm," I paused, swallowing my saliva, "Sorry to hear that. I would've never thought that you lost your eyes. If it's not much trouble, could I asked how you lost your eyes?"

Lulu nodded her head, "I had got into a car accident," From the corner of my eyes, I could see Eyeless Jack flinch.

"It was so severe that they had to take out my eyes because they had gotten hit glasses of shards from the window. It took some time to adjust, but as I said, there wasn't much of a difference."


	14. Dress-up

"We better get to breakfast before we miss our breakfast," Eyeless Jack announced. I looked back at the clock that stood above the entrance door.

**7:00am**

Has it been that long, already? Wow, time flies by when you occupy yourself with other people. I feel like I have only been talking to Lulu and Eyeless Jack for 10 minutes. We stood up and walked towards the door that led downstairs. Lulu went first, then me and Eyeless Jack was last. Eyeless Jack closed the door behind him and we all left talking about my training.

After that book pile incident, we just sat down and talked about their lives. Of course, not on the floor, they had comfortable wooden chairs in the middle of the room. Not like the ones in the dining room, those were not for comfort. I have gotten to know some things about Lulu and Eyeless Jack.

Lulu and Eyeless Jack are quite similar. They both suffered so much because they were outcasted for being different. For looking and acting different than the rest, they were the obvious targets in school. And yet, they are different people with different abilities, strength and weaknesses.

Lulu; I had asked politely about her past and she was glad to share a few of them. She was only seventeen when the car accident happened. Her eyes had been damaged the most from that crash. But before that crash, life for her wasn't smooth either. Although Lulu was very smart and kind to everyone, not many returned the same response as her.

She was bullied and had been beaten down numerous times. From seventh grade to ninth grade, Lulu said and I quote _"The worst years of her life"._ I wish I could understand Lulu's situation, but I couldn't because I have never been through that kind of event. I didn't ask about her parents or her guardians because it didn't seem to be a good thing to ask. If Lulu had told her parents, perhaps she wouldn't be standing here today. So I'll just suggest that she had issues as well with her parents.

Even after the crash, things just seemed to get worse for her. The constant bullying became an everyday routine. From girls beating her in the girl's bathroom to boys mocking her in the hallway or outside school. No matter where she was in school, the bullies would never leave her alone.

But I guess what happened after was how Lulu snapped. She had murdered almost everyone in that school, including the teachers. I remember seeing it on the news a few years back, when I was nineteen and just ending my first year of college. The school she had went resided in Minnesota, however I can't remember the whereabouts of it. But I do remember seeing pictures of the victims, without their eyes.

But what I don't understand is how she ended up in Eureka, Nunavut, Canada. She couldn't have made it all the way there by walking. For one, it's too far from Minnesota, that it is not even in the country. She would have been walking for 3 years and yet she was able to reach there in less than a year. Perhaps Lulu didn't walk there. She perhaps took a flight there? But still it wouldn't have been possible.  
  
  


Now, Eyeless Jack; he is a bit different. Eyeless Jack is a bit of a cold shoulder person. He does not seem to want to give any information about himself. I respect his decisions; I can't blame him for not trusting me. After all, I did try to kill him a couple of days ago. However, he did the basic knowledge of himself. Eyeless Jack is about two years older than me and is quite a tall person. If I had to estimate, he could be half or more of Slenderman's height; in other words, he is taller than Jeff. However, that was all he could really give about himself.

I guess I can admit that I wasn't satisfied with how little he told about himself. I could have just touched his bare skin and I would know everything about him. But, that wouldn't be fair to him nor to me. I need to build their trust so that they can trust me enough to tell me things.  
  
  


**•** ** And enough for the them to let their guard down. Of course, when the time is right ** **•**   
  
  


I flinched - my spine shivered, my whole back stood straight and I clinched hands together, feeling the slight tension of my blood circulating on my palms.

Amber; she's back.

I look towards Eyeless Jack and Lulu; they too seem to have notice my sudden body movement. They both stopped walking and looked directly at me.

"You okay, Ruby?" Lulu asked.

"Oh," I started, "Y-Yeah, I'm okay. I just suddenly got the chills," I lied. Well technically, I wasn't lying. Ever since I arrived here, the mansion has been anything except warm. The atmosphere felt so tense, making me feel unsafe and on edge.

"Oh, someone probably turned on the air conditioners in the mansion." Eyeless Jack said.

"Ah, alright then," I noted that in my head. I told them I needed to go to the bathroom, so I walked towards my 'room' and shut the door behind me.

I walked across the room before speaking to Amber, "Amber, where have you been? What happened back in the dream... thing?"  
  
  


**•** ** You and I are bound to this body by our souls, mainly you since you were born in it. But because I ** ** do not originate in this body ** ** , I have limitations. The dreams of us meeting with each other are caused by my  ** ** abilties, using ** ** my powers. The consequence to this is ** **** ** that it will take most of my energy. Last night seemed to be the peak of it ** **•**   
  
  
  


"So you just lost the energy to perform your powers?" I murmured.

**•** ** In other words, yes. I used all of it so our dream had been cut off early. Luckily, nothing bad happened to you physically or mentally to your body ** **•**

"Wait," I thought, "What do you mean by nothing bad happened?"

**•** ** That can be explained later. The others will get ** **** ** suspicious of your long absence ** **•**

I sighed, "Alright. We'll talk after breakfast."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Everyone at the table seemed to be in their own world. No one spoke nor looked at each other. Everyone was so fixated down on their food. Even Eyeless Jack and Lulu seemed to so focused and down. Is everyone alright? Did something happened when I was away? The air between everyone is so thick, the atmosphere could be worse than mine between Hoodie. I took glimpses on everyone's face and posture. Nothing unusual on their posture, although I haven't been here long enough to know.

Was this how everyone is normally? Cold and inhospitable? Or is there something more to that?  
  
  


**•** ** Look at their cutleries ** **•**   
  
  


Taking quick glances of everyone's pickings, I am... quite astonished. Nobody was actually eating their food, they were just messing with it, using their fork and knife to toss it around their plates. Sitting next to Sally was Dark Link, who slouched and used his fork to toss around the breakfast he ate.

"They aren't even eating their food." I thought. I stopped staring at everyone and looked down at my food. Today, breakfast was different, bacon and sausages with scramble eggs. Jeff, Jane, Sally and the others seemed to have the same as I do.  
  
  


"How was your sleep, Ruby Easterwood?" Slenderman picked up a conversation. He was sat across from me with a newspaper in hand. His height, unsurprisingly towered all of the people that sat on his row. From his side of the table, Jeff, Hoodie, Eyeless Jack and Lulu sat next to him. Sally, Jane, Dark Link and Masky sat on my side of the table.

Before answering, I caught a glimpse of what date the newspaper was.

"It was okay. Thank you for asking," I questioned, cluelessly. I asked myself; why was asking these questions?

I looked around at everyone, but they were still looking down. There was only one person that wasn't here.   
  
  


"Where is Painter?" I asked. I looked back at Slenderman who was still looking at me.

"I sent him on a mission, last night," Slenderman added, "He will not be back until this evening. But it is possible he will extend it a couple of days."

A couple of days? "What do you mean?"

"Painty boy likes to extend his time when it comes to missions," Jeff was the first to respond. He finally broke the silence between everyone. "Don't worry. He'll come back."

"But I have realised that I assigned Bloody Painter as your fighting tutor. Therefore, Eyeless Jack will be your temporary tutor for the time being." Slenderman closed the newspaper and placed it on the table. He slowly got up, fixing his tie and suit. In a second, everyone's head looked up to Slenderman.  
  
  


"Gosh, that shook me. Did you see that, Amber?" I thought.

**•** ** Indeed. It seems that these residents observe precariously. Including the little child, Sally ** **•**   
  
  


"Jeff, Dark Link and Hoodie. I have an assignment for you three. Jane, Masky and Lulu, you three will have individual assignments. Eyeless Jack, you will train Ms Easterwood for time being Bloody Painter is absent. Everyone, enjoy your breakfast," And just like that, Slenderman vanished in a blink of an eye.

I took a few blinks before looking down at my plate. The bacon had been sliced into strips all over my plate, along with the scramble eggs. On the side of my plate, my half-finished hash brown had turned colder than it was already was, and my glass of water stood still beside my plate.

"Yo dude, pass the salt," Dark Link gestured to Jeff, who was the furthest away from him. The salt was placed was right in front of Jeff, to which it was the only salt on the table. Jeff looked at the salt, then glimpse angrily towards Dark Link.  
  
  


**•** ** My, my. Someone seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today ** **•**

"How do you know that expression? That expression didn't exist for more than a couple decades." I questioned her.

**•** ** Our world works a bit different to yours ** **•**   
  
  


I was skeptical about Amber, but I shrugged it off; it wasn't important at the moment. But she was right about Jeff. The look he gave to Link was putrid and disgusted...

Looking at Jeff's memories between him and Dark Link, their relationship are quite peculiar. They like to get on each other nerve by pranking each other. But aside from... whatever that is, they are great in combat, especially together. But the emotion Jeff is currently giving off, is highly different to when Link would prank him or just, in general, being annoying.

"I'm not your dude," Jeff's voice was deeper than usual. More scary and assertive. He stood up quickly, which knocked his chair to fall and shake the table. Those who ate, dropped their forks and spoons from the sudden movement of the table. To my shock, surprised me more than Jeff's sudden behaviour. I could see that Jane wasn't happy.

Jane looked directly at Jeff and spoke in a harsh tone, "What the hell, Jeff! Can you not be a dickhead?"

"Shut the hell up, Jane!" He had raised his voice. Through everyone shuffling in their seats, Sally's seat caught my attention. I watched as Sally, without efforts, try to push the chair back. It took her quite a while, as the pair continued to argue. Sally proceeded out of the kitchen and ran towards the living room, thinking she would stay there. Instead, I heard the soft, silent thuds coming through the walls, making their way up the ceiling. The stomps had faded away and I could no longer hear any noise coming the floor above us.

The two lookalikes continued to argue on, whilst everyone either watched them or disregard the situation and ate their food. Besides Sally and Slenderman, I hadn't seen anyone leave the table at all or the kitchen. No one had seemed to pay attention to Sally's sudden disappearance, either. Had none of them have concern over the other residents here, or were they really blind. Sally's exit had been quite loud, if not louder than the putrid words Jane and Jeff were exchanging.

I decided to leave the table and follow Sally to whatever she went upstairs. I didn't bother to turn back to see if anyone had notice my absence. I couldn't care more nor less if someone stopped me to ask. My concern was Sally.

I tried to be as discrete as possible on the steps, yet I rushed upstairs, making my steps sloppy and a bit easy to hear. Once I got to the top of the stairs, I looked around to see which room Sally had entered. I didn't hear her go to the second floor, so she couldn't have been in the library. Each room had the same wooden door and they were all closed. All the doors, except one; it was slightly open, revealing the strip of light coming from inside of the room. It was just opposite my room, which I found a bit odd.  
  
  


**•** ** I figure that Sally must have ran towards that room ** **•**   
  
  


I made my way towards the door as quiet as I could. My shoes slowly inching my way on the hard carpet. When I got to the door, I first tried to listen inside the door, hoping to hear Sally from the other side. If I couldn't hear Sally, then my suspicions were wrong and this wasn't the door to Sally's room.

_"They're fighting again... I don't like it either but they won't listen to me..."_ Then I heard it: Sally's voice. She was whispering to someone else that was in the room. But that couldn't be possible. Besides from Slenderman and Bloody Painter, everyone was downstairs in the kitchen. There was no possible resident in this house that could be here with Sally.  
  
  


**•** ** Pretend that you just went to visit her after she left the table. Pretend you didn't hear her speak right now ** **•**   
  
  


I looked at the doorknob, then towards the tiny crack of light. I was hesitant yet curious about Sally. With my free hand, I raised my hand and knocked on the door to her room. I waited a couple of seconds before saying anything.

"Hey, Sally. It's me, Ruby," I spoke loud enough for her to hear me through the other side, "I saw you leave the table just now and I got a bit worried about you."

I patiently waited for an answer, however there didn't seem to be any sign of her answering to me. Although it had been a few minutes of silence, it felt longer when the door flew open. I looked down and saw Sally with her right hand on the door and her other arm by her side. I watched her eyes as she looked back at the hallway to see if there was anyone else

"Is it just you? I thought I heard someone else with you," She stated.

"Nope, it's just me," I showed her the plate that was in my hand. It was my breakfast and I had brought it along with me, in case she had gotten hungry. I was still hungry, to be honest. "I brought some of the breakfast, can I come in?"

She smiled, "of course." And skipped back into her room. I followed her and close the door behind me as I entered her room.

Her room was very different to my room and it was quite obvious. She had light pink wallpaper and they were covered with little drawings taped to the wall. They were child-like drawings; she must've done it herself. Her window was by the far side of the room, overlooking the other side of the forest. Nothing special about it, the view was similar to the view in my room, only it had no access to the roof. Meaning, she had a better angle of the forest, without needing to step out. Her curtains were also pink, with laced fabric that stretched to the bottom of the window. There were white patterns on it, but I didn't pay close attention to them. I looked towards her bed: unsurprising, it was pink too. The blanket was pink and the wooden bed was pink. The only thing that wasn't pink was her pillow, which was crimson white.

On the floor, there were dolls of all kind, scattered on the floor. I couldn't recognise them all, but it was certain she had a particular taste in ragged dolls and porcelain dolls. Sally sat on the floor, next to a ragged teddy bear and took it into her hands. I sat down in front of her, because it was the only spot that didn't occupy any toys. I sat up straight and placed the plate in between me and her. The smell of the breakfast was there but only slightly and had grown colder than it was downstairs.

"So," I started, "How come you left the table?" I tried to sound more concerned about her than sounding like the police officer back at my home.

She shrugged, "I felt the urge to leave the table. I also left Mr.Bear here when I went for breakfast." Sally held the teddy bear up in the air to show me. Out of all the dolls, she seemed to have taken an interest in this one. Its head slanted to the side of its shoulder as its arms hang loosely around Sally's finger. There was nothing to this doll that had value from the rest of the dolls, unless it had more to do with history than appearance.

"Mr.Bear?" I repeated.

"Yeah! Mr.Bear has always been there for me. For as long as I can remember, it's been him and me. Although, there was this one time I had lost him for almost a day in a house because this girl had taken him from me," Her voice became harsh when she mentioned the girl.

"How did you lose him?" I asked as I took a piece of bacon from the plate and munched it.

"I was hiding in the house in the attic when the new owners were coming in to put all their stuff inside. That's when I realised I didn't have Mr.Bear with me. I thought I left him upstairs but when I went to look around the house, the girl had him in her supposed room. I got him back eventually." During her explanation, I wondered about Sally and her background. I hadn't heard or seen much of her past. With my new powers, I could use it to see hers, but I didn't want to intrude on her.

"I'm surprised the owners and the girl didn't see you in the house," I admitted.

She took a bacon and held it in her fingers, "Back then, I didn't have a body. I was spirit that wondered in that house. So I just wondered around the house with no issues."

When she said, I got curious but in the way that concerned me about her. I looked at her with a eyebrow raised higher than the other, "You... didn't have a body?"

"Yep. I had died in that house because of some fire that started in the middle of the night," Sally said it with ease. It shocked me; she had died. But looking at her, she doesn't seem to care that she had died. Does death not bother her?

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I replied.

"It's alright. It happened a _long_ ," she emphasised on the word 'long'. "Time ago. I don't remember much about it anymore. But I do remember Mr.Bear being there when I died. As I spirit, I couldn't really hold anything, except him for some reason. Which is why he is very special to me."

I smiled, "I can tell. All these other dolls don't seem to come close to what you and Mr.Bear have." Sally shook her head, agreeing with me. I look around the room, trying to count the number of dolls I could see.

"How many do you even have, Sally?" I asked.

"Not sure. I know I had 5 when I arrived here but then some started to show up. I think Slendy asked our friend to make some for me. Her name was Stitch-Doll Maker. I haven't met her but she does leave letters whenever there are new dolls left in my room," she explained. So there are more of 'them' out there than there are in the mansion. But those people don't seem to want to stay here.

"She seems nice. Do you want the rest of my breakfast?" I gestured to the plate. She put down Mr.Bear by her side.

"Yes please. But what about you? You have training today." Sally asked.

"I'll be fine. You're still growing so you need it more than me, child." I moved the plate closer to her and gave her the cutleries I had in my pocket.

Sally didn't waste any time; she had devoured the whole thing in less than 10 minutes. Plus, I had a lot of food on the plate.  
  
  


**•** ** Like you said, Sally needs it more than you do. Although, I think she has lived on this Earth for far longer than you have, so does she really need it? ** **•**

"Don't get smart with me," I told Amber. Her chuckle echoed in my mind to which my ear could hear vibrations.  
  
  


"Do you wanna play dress-up?" Sally asked me. I was caught off guard by her question as I hadn't expect her to speak so soon.

"Dress-up?" Eyeless Jack nor Slenderman said when my training started. Do I still need to worry about showing up on time?

"Sure. I've got time to kill. But no dresses please."

"No promises," Sally said, giddily. She sprung up in excitement. "Oh, I should get Jane and Lulu to join. Wait here." Then she disappeared out the room. I sat in the exact spot.   
  
  


**•** ** The more, the merrier people can suffer. I like how this child plays ** **•**

"What is wrong with you?" I muttered.  
  
  


Sally can back shortly with Jane in her hand, dragging her until they had reached her room. Lulu followed in after Jane. When they saw me, they were a bit surprised, at least Jane was. I couldn't read Lulu's expression.

"She got to you too?" Jane questioned. I shrugged. Judging from Jane's reaction, something about this _dress-up_ wasn't going to be fun, for me and the other girls at least. This might be pleasing for Sally, though.

"Just great," Jane sat next to me, tossing the doll away in order for her to sit. "Now who am I going to leave all my personal belongings to when I die after this?" Jane blurted out.

"Oh, don't be so moody, Jane," Lulu joined in the conversation as she sat on top of Sally's bed, which was behind us. "You've never done this before. Just give it a try."

"I've never done this because I know what happens when dressing up. Remember the last time someone played dress-up with Sally?" Jane paused. "Link was scarred for about a week."

Sally and Lulu giggled along, while I smiled at the idiocy that Jane would think Sally would do any harm to anyone.

"What?" Jane questioned.

"Oh, Jane. You're so gullible," Sally pat the top of Jane's head, like a dog. Jane didn't seem to look happy. Me and Lulu looked at each other and started giggling away.

"Now, thank you all for joining me on this glorious morning. Today, we'll be playing dress-up. One at a time, I will ask one of you to follow me to Ruby's room." When she mentioned my room, it immediately caught my attention.

"What? Why my room?" I protested. Something tells me that something devious is going to happen.

"Because we need a place to change, of course," Sally stated the obvious. She kept on rambling on about clothing and rules. They were straight-forward, don't turn down Sally's demands otherwise she'll tell Slenderman. I mean it didn't so bad, unless Sally has bad taste in clothing, which I doubt is the case.

"Jane!" Sally called out. Jane looked directly at Sally with no smile. She looked quite nervous and stressed about this, instead.

"Will you please come with me? I will make you beautiful," Sally spoke in a posh accent, which didn't sound quite right so it seems off-putting.

"Aren't I beautiful enough for you to admire?" Jane said in a panicking voice.

"Nope," She reverted back to her normal voice, "Now c'mon. I will make you more beautiful. By the way, I will not reveal anyone until everyone is changed. So that means Jane will go to her room, then it'll be Lulu's turn. So Ruby, you go last." Sally said as she and Jane left the room.

"Why do I feel like this is going to end badly?" I asked Lulu who laid on Sally's bed.

"Don't worry. She doesn't go insane when it comes to dressing up." Lulu assured me.

"So what really happened to Dark Link the last time he did dress-up?" I asked her with a smile, turning my whole body towards Lulu.

"Link actually left the mansion for a week because he was given a task by Slenderman. It was supposed to only be a few days, but he came back later than expected. We all joked to Jane that he was scarred by the dress-up. We just wanted to make Sally seem scarier than she actually was to Jane. I couldn't believe that it'd work, though. We thought that she wouldn't buy it. But when Jane saw Link come out his room again, it was hilarious." Lulu and I giggled along.

A few minutes went by, Sally came back in whilst me and Lulu were in a middle of discussing about drinks. Apparently, tea is one of Lulu's favourite drinks. The whole blood thing isn't her favourite, but she strangely suggests I try it. I told her I was fine at the moment with sticking with mango juice. She asked Lulu to come with her and then I was left alone in the room once again. The plate had been left untouched since Sally finished eating it. I might need to bring it back to the kitchen after this game is done. I got a chance to look at the drawings on the wall. They were stick drawings yet I could easily recognise everyone because I had seen similar ones in the memories Amber had shown. Everyone was standing by a house and everyone was smiling. Surprisingly, even Slenderman, but hey they're just drawings, not actual people.   
  
  


**•** ** Ruby, look at the stick drawing beside Lulu ** **•**   
  
  


I looked at the drawing Amber told me to. Beside Lulu, there was a stick woman; one I had not seen. She seemed to be taller than Lulu and had brown hair in the shape of a ponytail. But what surprised me was she was carrying books in her hands. I slightly brushed the fingertips of the stick woman. She looks normal, like there was nothing wrong about her. There she was, smiling and looking pretty.

"There was someone else? Another woman... Who is she?" I say out loud. I could finally speak my mind so that Amber could know what I really desired to speak out.  
  
  


**•** ** I am not certain who she is. Perhaps that something you should ask Sally or the others about ** **•**   
  
  


"No. They don't need to know I saw this. I don't want them to know I know things I shouldn't know. I need to start questioning the things they do... whatever those people who were going to take me before Slenderman." I told Amber

**•** ** Sneaking around the house to know about them would not be such a bad idea. However, if you get caught once, then they will start to suspect you. I suggest sneaking around should not be done so often ** **•**

"We could use your powers to see their memories. It's quicker and efficient," I reasoned with Amber.

• **It would be. Unfortunately, you had told Slenderman of them. It is no doubt that it has told its proxies about this** **•**

"Crap, that's right." I cursed myself for accidentally telling Slenderman about my capabilities. How could I do that? Now I need to make sure of Slenderman's awareness and the others too.

**•** ** There is another option. The h ** ** idden presence, Shadow ** **•**

That's right. Shadow and I were able to meet through sheer communication with a wall between us. He knows more than I know right now.

"That is, if he is willing to share everything he knows with me. Although he and the others weren't on good terms, that doesn't mean he has a possible reason as to why he wouldn't want to." During our talk with Shadow, he didn't share much about himself nor the others. The whole conversation was about me and my mother; our relationship and our life. Now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't have told everything to Shadow. What a fool I am.

The door clicked open and I immediately spun around. Sally rushed in and grabbed my hand without hesitation and took me out of the room. I wouldn't be lying if I said I was surprised by the sudden movements.

"It's your turn now to play dress-up," Sally exclaimed. We scurried through the hallway which didn't take long as my door was directly opposite to Sallys'. I look towards the other side of the hallway and I saw another person there. It wasn't Jane or Lulu out in the halls, rather this person had much broader shoulders and body. I looked at their eyes and he looked into mine, sorta.

I saw Masky out in the hallway and I waved at him. He looked puzzled as he stopped and kept on looking as us as we entered my room. Before entering upon my room, I saw Masky was holding a book in his hands.

As we entered my room, I gasped. My room was a mess. My wardrobe was opened and all my clothes that were once neatly hanged inside, were gone and were a complete wreck on my bed. Then I realised; she had used my clothes for the dress-up! Without even asking for my consent!

"Sally! Why did you use my clothes? My room is a mess. I'll have to clean this, too!" I almost yelled enough for anyone that passed by could hear it clear. She kept on smiling and being excited.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Ruby. I will clean after this is done. But right now," Sally walked to the pile of clothes on top of my bed, "I need to make you fabulous." She grabbed a couple of my shirts and went through the sort.

I quietly groan. I should've figured that a 9 or 10-year-old child would do this.  
  
  


_{[[ I see you have the child in your room... ]]}_   
  
  


I looked directly at the wall, as if Shadow was there, observing our moves. I breathed heavily, showing my quiet annoyance.

"Yes, Sally wanted to play dress-up with the other girls. But she didn't say she was going to use my clothes." I briefly explained Shadow.

_{[[ Interesting. The spirit child did not do that when I first arrived ]]}_

"Maybe because I have better taste in fashion than you do?" I didn't mean to make it harsh, just in a teasing matter.

_{[[ Hm... Bold of you to assume I wear clothing ]]}_

**.** **. .**

I screamed internally in my head as I felt my myself going red. I tried not to imagine a guy... without clothing. My eyes went wide as I covered my mouth to contain my scream.

_{[[ I-I MEANT HUMAN CLOTHING! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! I AM A REAPER! I HAVE NO NEEDS FOR HUMAN CLOTHES BECAUSE I HAVE MY OWN CLOTHES! ]]}_

**•** ** GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE GUTTER, RUBY ** **•**

"MAKE IT CLEAR PLEASE!?" I screamed in my mind. Sally turned back to me and pulled myself together. I threw my hand off my mouth and tried to act as if nothing happened at all.

"This'll do. I'll wait outside. When you're done, you can come outside so that we can all see each other's outfit." Sally skipped towards the door. She had given me the clothes I would wear for the dress-up.

"Oh, and by the way," Sally added. "I love your taste in fashion. It's so cool and fabulous." Then she left.   
  
  


_{[[ I stand wrong. The child does seem to like your clothes ]]}_

"I told you..." I whistled silently, yet I'm sure he heard me.   
  
  


This wasn't my favourite out of the rest of my clothing, but it didn't mean it wasn't pretty. It was a red crop jacket with long sleeves, longer than my arms so it look way too big on me. The reason I had this in my closet was it was a present for one of my friends, Silvia. But I had bought her a better present so I had completely forgotten about this outfit. Instead of wearing pants - I really like wearing pants - Sally had picked out a skirt for me. In my opinion, I wouldn't wear skirt with a cropped jacket, but this was Sally's choice so I couldn't argue with her.

"Hey, Shadow?" I tried to catch Shadow's attention.  
  
  


_{[[ Yes, Ruby Easterwood? ]]}_   
  
  


"I wanna know about you and the other residents. Do you think you can tell me sometime?" I asked. On the other end, I couldn't hear anything. It was silent for quite some a while, but I knew he heard my question.

_{[[ Why? ]]}_

"Huh?" I replied back.

_{[[ Why do you want to know? Is there a reason as to why you wanna know about me and the other proxies? ]]}_

I sighed, "there is, but it's a bit personal to me. I..." I didn't know how to put them into words. I closed my eyes and took another moment to restart again.

"I will tell you some time tonight. Right now, I need to go," I said as I head towards the door.  
  
  


_{[[ Wait, Ruby... ]]}_   
  
  


I stopped dead in my tracks, after I heard Shadow.  
  
  


_{[[ If this means anything to you, my trust and honesty means more to me than anything. Loyalty is one thing but it's nothing compared to the trustworthy between people ]]}_   
  
  


A thought ran through my head before leaving my room, shutting it behind me.   
  
  
  
  
  


"Hey, Sally? I don't think these two match perfectly..." I say, looking back down at the outfit Sally picked out for me.

"You can't speak for yourself! Look at me," I was taken back when another voice responded that wasn't Sallys'; it was Janes'. I looked up and saw Jane in a more ridiculous outfit than I was in. She was in a red two-layered dress that went down to her knees, however at the back, it went much longer. The first layer showed shined crimson red whilst the second was a white lace. The dress was strapless showing more of Jane's skin.

Lulu was standing beside her, trying to contain her laughter. But then, I started snickering, then all hell broke loose. Me and Lulu started to laugh so hard. It wasn't that the dress wasn't pretty, it was that it didn't suit her; it was a size too big. So Jane was trying to hold the dress up as much as possible.

"Oh my gosh," I said between my laugh, "I can't believe Sally made you wear that." I couldn't take it anymore, I was dying in laughter. I could hear Jane growl in anger.

"Why was this in your closet? All your clothes are just shirts, pants and shorts," Jane exclaimed.

I calmed myself and began explaining that the dress Jane was wearing was my prom dress in high school.

"I had put that dress all the way in a box at the back of my cabinet. I didn't expect Sally to find that," I admitted.   
  
  


• **You were not expecting Sally to use your clothes, either** **•**

"Touché," I told Amber.  
  
  


"Well, she did. I look so ridiculous," She groaned. "But not going to lie, this is a pretty dress but it ain't for me. It would totally fit you and in many ways than one," She added. Lulu giggled again but it wasn't long. I looked at Lulu and her outfit.

Her outfit was completely normal; she wore a red off-shoulder sweater - which in my opinion, looked more like a shirt, but had a hoodie - with blue shorts. Along with the shorts, she wore black stocking with small heart patterns. Instead of her high heels, she wore my white, worn-off sneakers that don't fit me anymore.

"Lulu, you are so lucky. You are wearing normal clothes," I complimented.

"I'm surprised. I thought I was going to wear something similar to what Jane is wearing," Lulu smiled so big, it could brighten the whole mansion. For such a quiet girl, she has a lot of energy.

"This outfit suits you," Jane said. "You normally wear blue dresses, so seeing you in this completely blows my mind."

"Why, thank you, Jane," She chimed. I looked around, however I couldn't see Sally anywhere. The hallway wasn't long, it only occupied the bedrooms of everyone and Slenderman's office, so trying to spot a person from a far distance wouldn't be hard to see.

"Where's Sally?" I asked.

"Sally said she left her teddy bear downstairs in the living room," Lulu said. That was a bit confusing.

"Her teddy bear? You mean Mr.Bear?" I replied back. They both nodded their heads in agreement.

"But Mr.Bear was in her ro-" I was interrupted by the sounds of laughter coming from behind Jane and Lulu. And it wasn't just one voice, it was multiple laughters. I could see Jane's face was turning red in embarrassment. At the same time, I watched how her teeth gritted and saw her fist clenched slowly. On the other hand, Lulu was blushing bright red in plain embarrassment.

Jane and Lulu both turned around as I walked beside Jane to see three guys and one girl standing in front of them all. The three guys were none other than Jeff, Dark Link and Eyeless Jack. Two out of the three were laughing their eyes out, while the other just stood there with no reaction.

"OOHHH MY ZALGO! THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE FUNNIEST THING I'VE SEEN FROM YOU!" Dark Link laughed in hysterics. Seeing both Jeff and Dark Link laugh so hard, was triggering me to smile and contain my laugh.

"WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP BEFORE I BEAT YOU DOWN TO THE UNDERWORLD!" Jane's voice grew louder and higher with each word. Jane speed-walked towards Dark Link. I could tell she couldn't run otherwise the dress would drop. However, Jane's walk was quick which made Dark Link run away. I could tell everyone was enjoying the scene unfolding upon them.

Sally grabbed Jeff, who had stopped laughing, and yanked him towards Lulu.

"So Jeff, what do you think about Lulu's outfit?" I could hear Sally say. I looked at Jeff with a smile plastered on my face. I could tell he was starstruck by Lulu's new choice of outfit. Lulu didn't do nor say anything. She stood very still as a statue, with her hands together in front of her. She didn't smile, instead her bottom lip was slightly numbed.

"Fascinating..." Was all Jeff muttered. However, we could all hear it, which made Lulu blushed more, seeing a little smile form under her bangs.

"I-I mean - she looks good! It's different!" Jeff tried to defend himself, although he had already said it. My smile just grew bigger and bigger.

"So what's happening with you here?" I looked in front of me and saw Eyeless Jack standing opposite me.

I gave myself a pity laugh, "I have no idea. This was all Sally's choice... A crop jacket with low skirt was all hers." Eyeless Jack stood still with his arms crossed, like an angry parent. I knew I had done something wrong which made my heart beat a bit faster.

"Sorry if I missed training, today. I didn't know when I had it," I couldn't give any excuse for myself. I let it happen without seeming to care.

"Oh, you haven't missed training," Eyeless Jack stated. My heart stopped beating for a second.

"I... I haven't?" I repeated.

"No. I should've told you but training will start at 9:30am," Eyeless Jack briefly explained, "But I couldn't find you during breakfast." I looked at the clock behind Eyeless Jack and read it, saying 8:50am.

"O-Oh. That actually makes sense now. My curiosity for Sally's being made me leave the table during Jeff's nonsense," I told Eyeless Jack.

"I see," Eyeless Jack says. I couldn't tell what he was thinking about, because of his mask.

"It looks silly doesn't it?" I questioned, with a nervous smile.

"You seem to be more uncomfortable about it than finding it attractive," Eyeless Jack added. He was right; wearing a skirt with a crop jacket didn't make sense.

I groaned slightly, "no doubt." I smiled. His mask, once again, succeeded in blocking any facial expression Eyeless Jack might be expressing.

"If it's alright to ask," I asked. "Can you see much with the mask on?" He was quiet and he stood in the exact same position as he was. It went on for about 5 minutes of awkward silence between us, me waiting for his response with an awkward smile and secretly sweating. Then he unfolded his arms and walked off, which startled me a little bit.

"I suggest you change clothings because we will be doing a lot today," He said before walking off. I watched as he made his way down the stairs.

Did I do something wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have said? What if I offended? Oh gosh, I hope I didn't. That would be the last thing I wanted to do.

"Are you alright, Ruby?" I heard Sally's voice next to me. I looked down and saw her with Mr.Bear in her hands.

I tried to smile once again, "Yeah, I'm good, Sally. Just a bit nervous for today."

"Don't worry about E.J, Ruby. The training today might be difficult but you'll soon find them easy to handle," Sally assured me then gave me a brief hug. She then ran into her room and closed it behind her.

"That's not what I'm worried about, though," I muttered. I turned around, seeing Jeff and Lulu still speaking to each other. It was... cute to watch them. They were the most unlikely pair to be blushing around each other, but it was still adorable to see them.

I left them to talk and walked to my room to change. Surprisingly, the clothes that were untidy on my bed were gone. The closet door was closed this time. I opened it and saw that all my clothes were back to where they were.

I smiled and made a note to myself to thank Sally.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	15. Night Food!

** 9:30 P.M **

I flunk on my bed in exhaustion, face first. I roared my tiredness into the sheets.

"That was so tiring!" My voice was muffled by the blankets. I rolled my body slowly so that my back was on the blanket.

Me and Eyeless Jack had trained for _12 hours_ outside. We had not stopped for anything, not even for lunch. I wasn't hungry though, however we didn't even stop for breaks. The first few hours were us stretching which progressively became harder and more complex. By the end of the 4th hour, I could feel every inch of my body, inches I didn't even know I could feel. After that, he showed the basic fighting skills, which were simple at first. But then Eyeless Jack made sure I was doing every skill as perfect, no flaw in anything. I focused very hard on each stance, each punch and each kick. Once Eyeless Jack was satisfied with each of them, he would show me a new one, and they were much complicated. But because we had done the stretches for 4 hours, I was more flexible than I was before, which made things slightly easier. By the eleventh hour, he had told me to try to defend myself as he would go in for the attack. By then, I was nervous because I now had to put all my efforts into this. Many times, he was able to knock me onto the ground, but there were times I was able to handle it for a long period of time. Which was an improvement from my previous battle from Jeff, yesterday.

However, I do have some small bruises on my arms where Eyeless Jack punched. There was a slight tense mark on the bottom of my chin where he had also punched me. I wasn't expecting it but I could handle it. Luckily, I didn't bleed anywhere, just small bruises here and there.

When we were done, Eyeless Jack told me about tomorrow's training. I didn't go to sleep immediately, but he suggested.

"Eyeless Jack," I spoke before he walked back inside. He turned back at me. He wasn't wearing his NASA sweater, just a plain, dark grey shirt with black jogging pants. I remembered staring at his skin for a quite a while as it wasn't the average skin colour. It was dark navy blue almost, nothing I had ever seen.

"I'm sorry if I offended you in some way. I never intended to do that. It was never my intention to do so, to begin with," I tried to apologise. But before I could start another sentence, Eyeless Jack had raised his hand, gesturing me to stop.

"You have nothing to apologise for, Ruby. I just don't like talking about my mask or my sight. It's a touchy subject of mine. I'm not comfortable talking about either. Not just yet," Those were his exact words.

I could say that I feel a bit more better, knowing I hadn't offended him. And I can, but I need to remember my plan.  
  
  


I got out the shower and changed into comfortable clothes; grey baggy jeans and a black tank top. I had also washed my hair, so the droplets were hanging from the end of my hair and onto my skin and some on my bed, leaving tiny dark circles. I sat on my bed by the backboard, my knees folded to support my head. I wrapped my arms around the lower part of my legs. I buried half of my face underneath my hands so that my back was arched.I sometimes do this when I'm alone or have the need to contemplate life for a short period of the evening. This was my time to think things over, like the situation I am in right now.

Shadow was being quiet at the moment, but that doesn't mean he could hear my thoughts. My mind was once my personal bubble where no one could know nor touch, but now it's occupied and exposed to others.   
  
  


**•** ** How about this; when we are not in your room, you and I will communicate with each other, so you are able to talk to Shadow. And when you sleep, we have a whole place to ourselves to discuss more things ** **•**   
  
  


"That sounds good," I told Amber.  
  
  


_{[[ What sounds good? ]]}_   
  
  


"The thought of getting some food into my stomach," I said out loud, "I've been training the whole day, but only now I am starting to get hungry."

_{[[ Perhaps you should do that, before you and I talk about what you had said this morning ]]}_

"Alright," I got out of my bed and dragged my legs along the wooden floor, "I'll be back in a while... Do you need to eat, Shadow?" I randomly asked.

_{[[ No. I am a_ _Reaper_ _, I have no use for human necessities. So you can also stop asking questions that are involves human needs and wants ]]}_

"Alright. Alright, Shadow," I walked out of my room and made my to the kitchen. The mansion was quiet through my walk. Only a few people were home and those people were normally quiet, from what I've seen through Jeff and Hoodie's memories. I wonder if Sally also has missions like the others, or does she just stay here in the mansion?

When I made my way into the kitchen, I immediately check the fridge. The fridge wasn't full, although there was a large stack of blood and what looked to be organs stored at the bottom of the fridge. Besides from those, there was drinks, such as soda, beer and milk. I took one soda can and closed the fridge and looked through the cabinets to see if I could find something to eat. There were a lot of hidden knives taped to the insides of the drawers and cabinet. I was quite surprised; I didn't know whether these people were that paranoid or just that psycho to think they'll ever need to use those at any point of the day. Regardless, I ignored them until I found a stash of biscuits and cookies in the final cupboard. There were some Chips Ahoy and Deluxe, but also a lot of Tuc biscuits.  
  
  


**•** ** If I were you, I would not take any of those ** **•**

I shook my head back in confusion, "Why not?"

**•** ** Those are Hoodie's snacks. As of right now, he does not seem to like you. It is  ** ** even more  ** ** likely he despises you because of me. But I still do not feel bad for what I ** **** ** have done ** **•**   
  
  


I immediately stopped myself and I closed the drawer. Out of all the people from the mansion, it had to be the one that dislikes me for something I had no control over. Would it have made a difference if Amber attack them that night? Would Hoodie still look at me with his angry expressions and words if I had more control over myself? Of course he would, it's Hoodie I'm talking about.

I withdrew breathe and turned around. My whole body reacted in reflex when my body had bumped into someone. I threw the contents inside my cola, without any warning for the other person. It drenched the other person's hair and the top part of their shirt. My body jerked back so that there was space between me and the other person.

I raised my head higher so that I was able to see the person's faces. My 'I'm so ready to take you down' was changed to a surprised face. The person wasn't an intruder - not like there would ever be an intruder - but rather an unexpected resident.

"Oh my... I'm so sorry," I exclaimed, "I thought you were someone else so I reacted with my reflex. Um..." I looked around the kitchen to find a cloth to dry his hair. "Wait here."

I ran by the sink and grabbed a clean cloth from the stack. I gave him the cloth and he used it to dry his hair. He flopped it on top of his hair and with both his hands, messed his messed-up hair.

"I wasn't expecting to come back so soon, Painter," I said as he continued to dry his hair. His mask was still on his face, yet it was slightly slanted to the left. The mask on the left side was slightly damaged, if not cracked.

His arms were bruised along with minor cuts that definitely came from a sharp object. They could easily be healed with washing it and covering it with some adhesive tape or bandage. My eyes looked down to his torso to see a huge line striking through the middle of his shirt. It looked horrific as the line had penetrated through the surface of his skin, showing the blood dripping down slowly and staining his shirt.  
  
  
  
  
  


_"Ruby, I'm fine. It's not so bad at all," He said as he leaned with his right hand on the side of the kitchen counter._

_"Are you insane, Liu? It's bad! Let me help you!" I was on the verge of tears just seeing him in this kind of state. I tried to hold the tears back so that I could focus on him and trying to fix the slash on his back. I already had the first aid and sewing kit at my disposal, when I heard the window glass break in my bedroom._ _I also had a pocket knife in case of emergencies. My mom said to always have one at least at your disposal._

_"Ruby-" His voice was soft and almost broke me. His eyes told me he was grateful I cared,_ _yet_ _he_   
_was turning me down. Liu was always like that: stubborn._

_"No!" I interrupted him before he could say more, "Stop it, Liu. Whether you want me to or not, I will fix this. Now stop being_ _a pisshead_ _and sit up straight on the counter."_   
  
  
  
  
  


"Painter, you're stomach," I gestured to it. He looked at me in confusion, then down at his stomach. I could see he understood; his shoulder went down and he slouched even more.

"Yeah, some guy... had a knife and advanced on me when I was open for attack," He murmured. Bloody Painter looked to be in pain, his whole posture shrank so that he couldn't feel that much pain.

"I can stitch that up, so that the blood stops," I suggested.

"That would be nice, thank you," Blood Painter nodded and pointed to one of the upper cupboards next to the fridge, "The first aid is in there, on the top shelf."  
  
  


Bloody Painter laid flat on the kitchen counter. We could have gone to the medical room, however it was obvious that he couldn't walk anymore further up the stairs. So we decided that I would stitch him on the kitchen counter. Although it was uncomfortable, it was better than ruining the wooden table we used to eat breakfast. From what Bloody Painter said, the wood is ancient yet strong enough to withstand anything. I didn't want to ask any further so I let it slide and focused on him, instead. Plus, Bloody Painter said that if any blood was found on the surface of the table, Slenderman will have ours head decapitated off out bodies. I'd still like to have mine attached to my body, even at death.  
  
  


As I was suturing the gash, I was hit with nostalgia of the past. The times Liu would get hurt and need me were very fond to me. He would need to lay low for, because the house he had been holed up to hide, would be found by the police. The first time he stayed at my house, he had flown himself into my bedroom window and crashed onto my carpet, which was also ruined because of his blood dripping from his exposed wound. Luckily, I was home alone and my mom had gone out of the state for a conference meeting. She would be back tomorrow afternoon. Liu refused my help because he was stubborn like always, but after a while, he agreed and let me.

This became a somewhat unscheduled routine; whenever Liu's hiding house was found (Which was rare; he could find an abandoned house and stay there for a month or two before he was found again) or he was in desperate need to be fixed and healed, he would always come to me. Liu would appear in my room in the night and wake me up gently so that I could sew his wounds and injuries. Of course, I'd asked Liu how he got them, but he wouldn't tell me everything, which always made me worry more about him. But at the same time, I was glad he wasn't dead at the end of the night.

After I finished sewing Liu up, we'd talk for a while before he slept in the guest bedroom, because he knew my mom would never go there. But when she wasn't at home, I would blush before asking him if he wanted to sleep with me instead.  
  
  


My thoughts were interrupted when Bloody Painter asked how I knew how to suture wounds or injuries.

"Back... in high school, me and my friend used to get in fights with these bullies," I lied. Why would I tell them the real truth? Especially to a friend of Jeff; it's possible Bloody Painter could tell him that he's older brother was still alive and get the idea he is hunting him down. Which wasn't a lie, either.

"Me and my friend would loose, obviously and always end up in the nurse's office with lame excuses, otherwise the bullies would do much worse. I guess, the nurse got fed up with having to fix our wounds almost everyday, so he'd teach us how to. From how to identify a wound and injury to treating them with the proper medical equipments," I explained.

"Sounds cool," Blood Painter said. I can't believe that worked. I had never lied that good in my whole life; even the time my mom found out about the broken window Liu crashed into the next day, wasn't that amazing.

"Yeah. You'd think we would learn a few fighting tricks during those times, but we didn't." I nervously smiled, concentrating on the second knot in the second last thread.

Blood Painter didn't respond and kept quiet. I took a short glance at Bloody Painter and saw the crack of the side of his mask, again. It got me curious to ask him about.

"You're back earlier than what Jeff abd Slenderman said," I started off, "I'll assume everything went according to whatever plan you had?"

"Something like that," He replied, "Except for this. I was heading back here after I completed my mission when the unexpected guy surprised from around the corner and challenged me. He was drunk and out of his mind at the time, but he was able to attack once. I got pissed so I just killed him and left his body on the side of the street."

"There wasn't anyone out tonight?" I questioned, cutting the thread and moving to the last hole wound.

"There were. But I didn't take notice of them because me and the bastard were in a dark area of the street. So, the passing civilians couldn't do much when explaining to the police when they arrive," Bloody Painter said. He winced again when I opened the wound a little bit with the tissue forceps and pushed the needle drive into his tissue. Although I had done this about a few times on him, I could see he wasn't getting used to it. I wonder if this is Bloody Painter' first time getting major stitches.

"Sorry, this is the last one," I assured him. Bloody Painter nodded his head again and leaned more back on the counter, trying to forget the pain and relax.

"So then what happened to your mask if it wasn't from the drunk man?" I finally got to the question I wanted to ask from the beginning. He touched the side of his face and feeling the cracks.

"Oh, my mission had gotten a bit rough and violent," He said.

I smiled, but this time it was genuine instead of nervous, "Isn't all your missions rough and violent?"

"... True. But it was more than that, if that's a thing. I think it cracked when I fell on the side of my face. I can't remember, now," Bloody Painter said as I was almost done knotting the thread. Although it wasn't the answer I was hoping for, it did explain the crack.

"What were you doing before I arrived?" Now, it was his turn to ask me questions. I took a glance at him before looking back at the needle drive. He wasn't looking at me, but rather at the ceiling.

"Today was my first proper training. You missed that, today," I added. I could hear him exhale, in disappointment.

"It's okay. Jack filled your spot while you were out there killing people for your mission. He trained me twelve hours straight, with no breaks. And after that, I took a shower and was in the kitchen to eat something. That was when I threw the soda at you," I clarified.

"Sounds like you had an active day. Did you get your snack?" Right after he asked me, my stomach grumbled loud enough, I think Bloody Painter could hear. I stopped mid on the third knot and looked at him.

He was looking back at me with that bloody smile on his mask. I couldn't tell whether he was actually smiling or not.

"Guess not," He answered his own question. I slowly looked back at the knot with an embarrassed expression on my face. I finished knotting the third and cut the threads at each end.

"Alright, I'm done. But do take it slowly because it might still hurt." I sound exactly like my mom when she bandaged my leg.

Like I instructed, Bloody Painter sat up on the kitchen counter and made his way down, slowly and carefully. He thanked me and I told me it was no problem.

"Is there nothing to eat?" He asked.

I shook my head, "Well there are biscuits and cookies, but I thought if I took them, someone would get mad." I gestured to the cupboard by the far end of the kitchen. He looked at the said cupboard, then back to me.

"That cupboard is for Masky and Hoodie. No one is allowed to touch or eat them otherwise Hoodie kills you," Bloody Painter bluntly said.

"Well," I said, "That's nice to know." I could feel my stomach grumble again, but this time it was quieter than before.

"So yeah, there isn't anything besides from blood, organs and some drinks. But I haven't eaten anything since breakfast," I told Bloody Painter, "And because I can't leave this mansion, I will take some milk to my room and sleep starving until morning." I smiled and walked to the fridge.  
  
  


**•** ** Are you sure that's wise to not eat anything? You get cranky the next sun rises ** **•**

"Wait, how'd you know that?" I thought to Amber as I grabbed the milk and closed the fridge.

**•** ** I have been very quiet and patient for a very long period of time in ** **** ** your mind, Ruby. I know enough to know you will get irritable tomorrow ** **•**   
  
  


"What if I took you to town for a couple of hours?" I scared myself after hearing Bloody Painter's voice. I had thought that he had already left the kitchen. I almost dropped the milk, luckily it just shook in my hands.

"What if you took me to what?" I had heard him clearly, but I wanted to make sure I heard it right.  
  
  


**•** ** He asked if he could take you to town for a short amount of time ** **•**   
  
  


"To town? It wouldn't take long. I know everyone besides Sally and Jack are out, so they won't be back until the dusk of tomorrow morning. We could leave right now and we'd be back by midnight or more," He explained.

I was taken aback, because;

 **1.** He just told me everything in such a quick tempo without allowing me to respond

 **2.** Did he just offer me to leave the mansion?!  
  
  


"I - uh - did you just - I," I paused. Bloody Painter didn't seem to be joking, he doesn't seem to be the person to joke around. Although he just came from suturing his large wound, he doesn't seem to be in pain anymore. Yet, he could be hiding it.

Another second passed by, but nothing happened between us. It's then I realised that Bloody Painter truly wasn't kidding around: he was serious. I took the time to inhale and exhale longer than how I usually do.

"Are you sure, Slenderman would be alright with me leaving the mansion? What if he finds out?" I asked him as I put the milk back into the fridge.

"Slenderman will surely be staying inside his office the entire night. He won't figure out," Bloody Painter assured me, "It'll only be for one night."

**•** ** It would not hurt to disobey Slenderman one time. He can not keep you confined in this mansion, either. You are a grown woman, for crying ** **** ** Euphorian state ** **•**

"You're right, I can leave this place with your help in anyway possible. But now wouldn't be the best time to," I thought.

I sighed and slightly patted the sides of legs with my hands, "Alright. I'll take you up on that offer. I'll first changed and meet you at the front door."

"No," Bloody Painter disagreed, "Slenderman can sense those who come in and out of the door through the main door. There is a balcony on the other side on the first floor. Meet me out there, Slenderman can't sense us if we leave through there."

I nodded and made my way back to my room to change. I told Shadow that we would to resume our discussion later before I left my room. He was fine with it, but did asked where I was going.

If I want to know things on everyone here then I need to tell him things too. It's only fair if I want him and I to work together.

"I'm going out to town with Painter," That was all I said to him. I knew Shadow was smart enough to figure out the reasons why. All he said after that was, to take care and don't get into trouble. I had teased him and called him 'dad', because he acted like one, and left my room.   
  
  


**10:04 P.M**

I stood outside on the balcony top and looked up at the sky. The night sky was beautiful as always; tiny dots filled the gloomy blue landscape and tonight, the moon was out in full bloom. There wasn't any airplanes flying by the mansion, nor was a helicopter. The night was quiet, following with the sounds of trees swaying through the gentle wind. I couldn't hear any birds in the nearby trees surrounding the mansion, which made the atmosphere peaceful and relaxing to stand outside for a couple of hours.

Everything was still, which was I liked mostly.

Although it was cold for the month of September, it did not bother me. I had worn a dark grey jacket, which stood down to my knees. I rolled the sleeves a little bit higher as they were too long for me. Underneath, I wore a plain maroon shirt with black leggings. They were comfortable and also provided warmth to me. As expected, I wore the black 'special' gloves Slenderman gave me. I had always worn them; when I was training with Eyeless Jack, when I was playing dress-up with Sally and even when I was suturing Bloody Painter's gash. Surprisingly, they hadn't gotten dirty. Perhaps they have and I haven't notice it yet. Likewise, I will clean them tonight or tomorrow morning, before breakfast.

I tried to look out into the far distance to see if I could make out any signs of civilisation, but alas I couldn't see anything.

"Yeah, the nearest town is probably your town and that is about a half an hour drive in the opposite direction." I yelped silently and turned around.

Bloody Painter was standing on my right, who was too close for comfort. His black hair wasn't messy as it was before, it was now symmetrical. His clothes had changed too, the line where the gash had been was no longer there and was replaced by another black shirt. On top, he wore a darker blue overcoat that matched his black jeans. On his overcoat, there was a yellow pin, it represented a smile. I hadn't acknowledged it before until now.

I sighed in relief, "You really know how to scare a woman, huh?" I took a closer look at him and realised that he wasn't wearing his mask, revealing his face. His whole face was perfectly chiseled, right down to his jawline. In the dark, you could see his eyes glow blue which made it menacing to look at, if you were the poor victim.

"Painter?" I asked, "Is that you?"

He nodded his head, without a smile. I blinked in surprised, I had not expect him to appear like this. But then again, I had thought he had no facial expression like the others here.

"You looked... very different to how I thought you would look like," I admitted. Bloody Painter still didn't smile, which soon cascaded into an awkward moment once again between him and I.  
  
  


**•** ** You really know how to make situations awkward ** **•**   
  
  


I bit the inside part of my mouth down with my teeth, to hold back my silent frustration on Amber.

"So should we get going?" I asked.

"We just need to wait a little bit longer. Someone is coming with us," I tensed up when he said. Who else could be coming? I looked back at the door to see movement. Bloody Painter, too, looked back and moved to the side so that I could see clearer who was coming with us.

Eyeless Jack closed the door behind him gently. His mask was still attached to his head, however his outfit was different to what I had seen of him. Instead of the NASA jacket, he wore a plain grey hoodie with blue denim pants. It wasn't special, but it was also - like I said - different. Was this his usual outfit he would wear?

"Hey," He greeted us in a quiet voice. Bloody Painter didn't respond to him, instead he shook his head up to gesture his presence.

"Jack? You're coming as well?" I questioned him.

He nodded his head in agreement, "Painter said you guys are heading to your town. I figured, I might as well come. In case something happens," Eyeless Jack stuffed his hands inside his pockets.

**•** ** How fun. How many more of Slenderman's mutts are coming with us? ** **•**

"We can go now," Bloody Painter stated. He walked towards the side the balcony and jumped onto the roof. Because the mansion was two stories high, there was two roofs. The roof on the first floor can be easily accessed through the rooms and the balcony, which also explains how I was able to escape the first day I was here. 

Eyeless Jack followed behind him and then I did too. I watched as we walked to the edge of the roof towards the front side of the house. We all stood by the edge, Eyeless Jack being in the middle, me on his left and Bloody Painter on the right. 

I looked down to see the height between me and the ground below us. Now that I'm able to look down without the adrenaline taking over me, I can finally say that the distance looks much further away than it was the first time. My mind and my heart were thinking at the same speed, which was really quick. 

On the corner, there was a huge pipe drain that stretched from the rooftop till the ground, which was going to help us get down. That made me worry, because as I watched Bloody Painter do it first, it looked difficult. However both of them made it look so easy that I was starting to get false confidence. I watched both men as closely as possible before it was my turn to get down.

"Try not to look down as you do it," Bloody Painter said. Like crap that made me feel better. I took a deep breath... in and out, like how Liu taught me. 

• **If anything happens, do not be afraid of death, as I will be there to break your fall** **•**

"That's reassuring," I muttered. I wasn't being sarcastic, either.

I sat down on the edge and placed my foot on a piece of metal that stuck out from the pipe. Slowly but steadily, I began to climb down the pipe. The whole time, my heart was pumping rapidly, and my whole body was freezing, thanks to the coming adrenaline. It wouldn't surprise me to say that I was terrified out if my mind. The small hairs on my skin stood tall and mighty, trying to show how petrified I truly was, like a cat coming across another cat. 

Somehow, it got a bit more easier. My hand and feet just need to hold onto the sticking metal parts. But for caution, I made sure each footing was enough for me to go down.

Although Bloody Painter said not to, I looked down. This time, the height didn't fear me. I was off the ground by half a metre, which made me feel confident enough to jump off the pipe and land perfectly on the soil ground.

I stood up straight, and looked at the two. One of them clapped very quietly, while the other gave two thumbs up.

"Nice going for your first try," Bloody Painter complimented. I walked towards them so that I could speak to them in a better tone.

"Thanks. I just watched you two, and then I copied your moves," I said. I could feel my heart slowly pumping back to normal, which was relieving. I could hear Amber's voice giving the biggest cheer in my mind. I tried to contain my big smile.

"Get ready for when we come back. That's also going to be our way back inside," Eyeless Jack added. That's when I stopped smiling and bluntly looked at him, without saying a word.

"You know, I'm not feeling hungry anymore. Wow, what a weird coincidence. Time to go back," I joked. I hope Eyeless Jack was also joking because there was no way I was doing that again. Even worse, I had to climb the pipe UP.

We made our way through the forest in the other direction, like Bloody Painter had said. We trampled through the soil, the fallen leaves and branches, leaving crumpling sounds and foot evidence we had gone through here. Here, we could make as much noise as we wanted to and no one further than around 7 metres could hear. The forest was huge enough for anyone to get lost in, which made it possible for Slenderman's mansion to hide in. The night sky tried to pour itself into the insides of the trees, but the leaves covered us, so that it was dark and cold. But the darkness was my only concern, not the temperature. I was lucky enough to bring my long grey jacket.

I was following Bloody Painter, Eyeless Jack trailing behind me, when he stopped. It hadn't been more than 10 minutes of us jogging deeper into the forest, and yet it almost felt like a second we were by the mansion. I walked beside him and saw a large pile of leaves and sticks. However, it was an odd shape. Through the darkness, it was hard to make out the silhouette. But as Bloody Painter approached it, he patted and swipe the leaves away. The sound he made with his hand, had made me realised. It wasn't a huge pile of leaves and sticks: they were covering a car. That's why it looked weird.

I looked beyond the car to see if I could find a road or a nearby path. Sure enough, there was one. It was a single road with nothing but the asphalt to show the path. It was obvious to see as there wasn't any trees, so the moon lit through. 

"You have a car?" I asked in a surprising tone. Eyeless Jack walked up next to me and watched Bloody Painter get rid of them.

"How do you think I got back so quickly?" Bloody Painter asked another question back. I pieced it together and it made much more sense.

"And you weren't going to tell the others about this?" Eyeless Jack spoke up. Judging from this tone, he hadn't known about this either.

"I got this on the way back today," Bloody Painter looked at him. He wasn't smiling at all, which made the air a bit tense. I couldn't tell what Eyeless Jack was expressing or telling because of his mask.

Bloody Painter got rid of all the leaves and sticks on top of the car. The car wasn't dirty besides from the bottom and the wheels. It looked brand new, instead; a black BMW, with the normal colour tires and height of roughly 172 centimetres. I recalled seeing that the company had made a new black called the Vantablack, which was the darkest black to ever exist. The car, Bloody Painter had took or perhaps stole, resembled it quite well.

Bloody Painter simply opened the car door to the driver's seat, left it open and started it the car. I noticed that he didn't have the car keys on him, meaning he must have left it inside, which was a risk, if a straggler just happened to come across this car. Within a matter of seconds, the engine hiccuped multiple times before expressing a loud roar out in the forest. I could hear the nearby birds leaving their nests or trees because of the sudden noise. The front headlights turned on and finally showed some light in the dark forest. 

Bloody Painter turned back to us with a smile his face. He stepped out the car and closed the door behind him.

"Looks like you got it to work," I said. Eyeless Jack was still beside me, but he hadn't said anything.

Bloody Painter nodded his head, "We've got enough gas for one trip to your town and back here. But before we go on ahead, we need to tell you something."

"What is it?" That's when I got a bit worried and concern. I knew this was too easy to be true. I looked at him then back Eyeless Jack. He looked in my direction and unfolded his crossed arms. 

"We're not allowed to let newcomers out of the mansion, until Slenderman says otherwise. So, this disobeys the rules," Eyeless Jack explained, "But since this will only happen once, we won't tell Slenderman or anyone about this matter."

"Okay?" I paused to look at Bloody Painter, "Is there something else you want to tell me?" I asked them both. 

"We can't let you know how you can get to the other towns. Just not yet, anyways. Slenderman does not trust you enough to know that you can be one of us. So, during the whole ride from here to your town and back, we have to put a blindfold on you," Eyeless Jack finally got to the point. I blinked in surprised.

"It's just a repercussion," I looked to Bloody Painter as he spoke, "We don't want to be the ones responsible for any future events that might occur because of this one night."

**• I do not like it one bit, Ruby. We should not let them take an advantage on us. What would we do? •**

"If we were to escape anytime soon, we would take the car and drive off far away from this place, that is if I don't accept their request. I know you don't think so, but you know that might happen," I thought. 

"I..." I sighed through my nose, "Fine. I will blindfold myself, and if you want, I can sit at the back laying down, so that you guys aren't paranoid."

They both looked at each other, however their expressions stayed the same, at least Bloody Painters hadn't. Eyeless Jack nodded his head at him, giving him confirmation that he was fine with it. I watched Bloody Painter's eyes looking back at me. He didn't need to tell me, I could read through his eyes.

"This sucks," I thought; Amber didn't respond, however. We had left the forest and were now on the move on the road. I lay in the back seat, in my lying position as my hands acted as a cushion for my head. I faced the front of the car, as the seat behind me became my back support. 

Bloody Painter and I had helped Eyeless Jack move the car onto the road as it had been sunk onto the dirt. Whilst me and him were pushing the car from the back, Eyeless Jack tried to accelerate the car. In It succeeded and moved on. Eyeless Jack moved out of the driver's seat and onto the passenger seat because he had 'apparently' called shotgun before we had left the mansion. Whether he did or not, I couldn't care less, for I was _blindfolded_ laying at the back seat. Other than the fabric of the blindfold, which was dark blue, I couldn't see anything. All I was relying on was the sound.

Bloody Painter was driving, that is how much I know. We were driving in silent, with the soft music coming from the car radio. I couldn't recognise the song as I have never heard of it; it wouldn't be the song I'd like to listen to. 

"One of my favourite songs is _I miss the misery_ from a band called Halestorm. Have you heard of it, Amber?" I asked her in my mind. 

**• In my lifetime, songs were more classical and had no electronics. So when I hear this song you speak of, I am absolutely fascinated by it. But at the same time, I have a slight urge to be mad. What is with you and this... rock and roll music? •**

I smiled, "It makes me forget about the world around me for a few minutes. If I listen to sad songs or love songs, I start to question my life. It also makes me upset, especially sad songs from Sara Keys."

**• I recall seeing you feeling depressed during the night, listening to her songs. I find her songs quite beautiful, rather than Lzzy Hale. I, unfortunately, do not understand why you cry. Do her words mean more than the band? •**

"Um... no? The tempo and lyrics are just sad. That's all. But that is my opinion. Your opinion about music could be different to mine," I told Amber. 

"How are you feeling, Ruby?" I heard Eyeless Jack say from the front. Amber hadn't said anything else, so I turned my attention towards him, instead.

"I'm fine," I say, "A bit cramp but otherwise good."

My height was about average, if not taller for a girl. When I laid down with the blindfold on, I won't lie, I wasn't comfortable for my legs to fold close to my body. Although I don't show, I'm not fond with small spaces. It's not a huge deal, but I like to be in wider spaces. I try to act tough so others don't know I have a little fear of cramp spaces. Whether it's Slenderman and his proxies, or Erisa, Zach or Liu, I keep it hidden from them all.

"How long until we arrive into town?" I asked. I felt the road turn a bit to the right.

"It shouldn't be long now. We will stop by a gas station for some gas," Bloody Painter took his turn to talk, "When we reach the station, you can take off the blindfold."

Through the blindfold, I could make out the lights as we passed by. Even though I couldn't see the lights, it was obvious that they were the street lights on the sides of the road. In advance, the car had a sunroof, which was open. So I could see the passing, blurring lights from above. Besides from my vision, I could hear cars speeding by and passing us. It meant that we were close to civilisation. My home town; we were so close. 

**• Let's not blow this, Ruby and think ingenious. Do you want to do anything, besides from food? •**

"I don't know. I could warn the cops about Slenderman's mansion? I'm not even sure if that's possible. I could find a way to contact Erisa or Zach perhaps! If only I had my phone, I could." I kept rambling on in my head whilst Amber quietly listened. Although there were a lot of things I could to try an escape, I don't think I wanted to escape. Not right now, at the most. It was too soon and I hadn't gotten enough information about them. It might sound bad, but when I escape, I want to go to the police and give every evidence I would have gathered about them. I don't want to deal with this, at all. I want this nightmare to go away, although I have met some pretty nice people.

**• That settles it. We're not doing anything that involves escaping or fighting them now •**

I turned my whole body towards the back of the car as I swallowed my saliva, "No. We're not going to do that. I want to build their trust and learn more about them. I want to learn about my bloodline, what my ancestors did for these creatures to exist. My parents, especially my mother. I want to know my mother for who she was before. But I want to know who my father was. Was he an important person to someone, besides my mom? Or was he just a normal person with normal passions and goals? I want to learn and know everything about me, what I'm capable to do, what I can harness. But in order for those to happen, I need to stay with Slenderman to learn them. I don't know how long, but long enough to know my powers and magic."

Amber was silent. She didn't respond to what I said. But her silence had spoken loud for me to know she was on board with me. Amber and I could go on about when we should leave, if we should fight back, or wait our turn. But because we've discussed this multiple times, it's becoming a little annoying, trying to decide.

"So from now on, we will stay with them. I don't want to talk about our plans yet, not unless we're truly alone. It makes my head hurt and I get confused on who I'm talking with. If you also want to give a comment, say it when we're alone, such as walking or sitting somewhere where no one can disturb us."

**• I understand, Ruby. Apologies if I made you feel overwhelmed about the situation we are in. I will try my best, even contribute a little in case you are feeling stuck •**

"Thank you, Amber."

**10:50 P.M**

I felt the car stop, slightly pushing back as I was talking (or thinking for more specifics). I turned my whole body upwards, so I could make out the blurring lights. This time, the lights weren't moving. They stayed in place, which was by the side of my vision. The soft vibration of the car stopped, causing the noise of the engine to also halt. It meant that the silence rang through my ears, very slightly. After hearing the engine for almost forty minutes, I had disregarded it and just acted as if it were background noise.

From the front seats, I could hear a lot of shuffling and seat belts moving, clicking off and the straps brushing on the side of the car. As I sat up - the material of the seats also moving and making shuffling noises - I could hear the car door open and softly close, the click of the car door going off. I knew we had arrived, so I decided to take off the fabric, covering my vision. I unknotted the bandana from behind my head, struggling as I couldn't see so I had to feel my way through the fabric. The bandana wasn't mine, yet it belonged to Eyeless Jack. Along our 'journey', he had brought a small backpack with him and had some... things he had brought. He had tied the bandana behind my eyes, so it was easier and quicker. Now, I could get the double knot untied. What a shame.

I gave up, and so I took it off through the sides, only to be hit with a blinding light from outside. I squinted my eyes so that less of the light would enter my eyes, but I also looked away and aimed my eyes down at the seats. My eyesight adjusted to the sudden lighting, blinking many times so that I couldn't feel the slight strain I could feel on the back of my eye. 

**• Good morning •**

I heard Amber laugh a little. I commented back with the same sentence with a smile. I looked at the front seats, and noticed Bloody Painter's absence in the car. Eyeless Jack was still inside the car with his backpack on his lap. He had his hood up, which I found strange. He beamed his head down, so that I wasn't able to see him at all, except the back of his hooded head. Judging from how the head is positioned, he was trying to hide from anyone who felt the need to stare into our car. It made him look suspicious, yet it was good enough for no one to spot his obscure mask. I didn't want to ask, yet again, about his mask. The bag was unzipped, slightly revealing the contents inside. However, the light was illuminating through the left side of the car, which created shadows and made it difficult for me to into the bag.

I looked out the window to my left, trying to make out some familiarity outside. Sure enough, I recognised where we were. My town isn't big nor is it small so I am quite familiar with the area. My town consists of the normal infrastructures, such as business companies, restaurants, cafés, schools, anything you name. However these buildings were close to each other building. I can recall one of my teachers, back in high school saying the reason for the confined building structure were from the 1940s for safety reasons. But gradually, there were a lot of beneficial entertainments that had been built later. However, they kept the structure of the houses and neighbourhoods and only renovated them.

We were nearby my University building, which was why I could easily notice the street. My University was about a few minutes drive. Surrounding the station were the houses nearby. I could just make out the curtain closed from their windows and having no lights on; everyone was asleep. However, as I panned my head towards the shop in the station, it was quite weird to see a few cars there, at this time of the night. 

"Jack," I stated his name, "I need to use the restroom real quick. I won't be long." I shuffled my body to the other side of the car. I opened the door, without hearing what Eyeless Jack had to say. I really had to go.

I passed by Bloody Painter, who was by the side, filling up the car with more gas. I think he had saw me as I walked by, because he called out for my name. I slightly groaned but stopped and turned around. 

"Where are you going?" He asked. That was all he wanted to know? He could've waited for him to see where I was heading?

"I'm going inside. I need to use the bathroom. Something wrong?" I questioned back at him. I had a fringe, so he wasn't able see my confused expression by my eyebrows. 

"No. There's nothing wrong. I'll come with you inside," He said. I nodded. I waited a little bit for him, although I was already resisting the urge to just run in. 

We both walked into the store. For the times I've been here, the store hasn't changed. It was a common gas station store. It sold food and drinks and other luxuries we think are easy to obtain. Unless they were above the age limit to buy it. Like many stores, it had a maximum of two or three staff members, however you would always see one working by the counter. The store also had a tv, which only viewed the news channel of both our town and worldwide. 

So the usual things in a gas store.

I told Bloody Painter that I'll be back. I walked off to the bathroom which was at the back of the store. As I was in the bathroom, I hadn't seen anyone in it. Perhaps the drivers had no need to use the bathroom or they weren't women. I did come across a person who was picking out some drinks. They were too occupied with themselves to have seen me, so I had passed by. Plus, I didn't recognise them which made me not need to sneak away from them. 

After I had done my business, I washed my hands and walked out the bathroom. I walked around the store to find some snacks for me to eat. That was when I overheard the late news from the tv. I looked up from the snickers to the top corner of the store, the black inch tv turned on. The lady on the tv was our local news reporter, and she always had a new story or update on any events or crime. 

_"It's currently eleven in the evening in Michigan. Good evening to the late sleepers, wherever you may watching this. We give you tonight's news of a murder in one local town. Four nights ago, Officer Ryan Lewis, aged forty-five, was brutally murdered in a house, after a 911 phone call of a possible kidnapping from a twenty-two year old university student. Ruby Easterwood was responsible for the phone call, however she has been condemned missing after that night. There has been no signs or traces of her whereabouts as of right now, nor do we know what the events that happened inside the house. As of Officer Ryan Lewis, nothing can be found except the multiple stab wounds on his chest and back. The weapon used has not be recovered nor does there seemed to be any evidence of the killer. What's concerning to the police was how the kidnapper was able to enter the house, when all doors and windows were locked._

_An investigation for both the murder for the officer and the missing woman is in play as of right now. Unfortunately, not much can be found about what happened that night. Surveillance cameras from nearby the house were ineffective due to the horrible storm that occurred that night, so there was no footage that could help the officers. From what the 911 responder had known, Ruby Easterwood had no other accompany when she made the phone call. Although there has been no evidence or current leads to this mystery, the police are starting to suspect that something else had went down that night."_

What? What do the police think, other than me being kidnapped? I'll admit, it might sound sketchy, but who in the right mind would call the police for absolute no reason?

**• Calm down, Ruby. Your clenching your fists •**

Sorry. I just can not imagine that they would think otherwise. I continued to watch, listening to the last few seconds the news reporter had to offer. 

_"Did Ruby Easterwood get kidnapped that night by an unknown kidnapper, murdering Officer Ryan Lewis? Or was the kidnapping just a cover up to hide a deeper and twisting truth? Did Ruby Easterwood... murder Officer Ryan Lewis in cold blood?"_

After that, I didn't listen to what she had to say next. I was in a trance inside my mind, debating with myself. I couldn't believe what she was trying to imply. The police are assuming that I was the one to kill Officer Ryan Lewis. Why? I have no motive at all to think that! I barely know the officer to know what he is like! Admittedly, I got to know about what he did to Hoodie, but that doesn't justify me enough, right?

Do others think the same as what the police do? Do my friends know I've been kidnapped? Oh my lord, what would Erisa and Zach think when they see this? What would the University say?! Will I get to continue studying after this? I... I have a whole plan I want to do after I graduate University. I have plans, but they'll be ruined if this gets out of hand.

The worst thing is that my mom doesn't even know. She's in Europe, god knows what she might think when she hears about this. Mom will be scared and petrified out of her mind when she finds out.

_"I'm not sure what is currently happening. But I do know who these people are. Please, Ruby. Do not believe nor trust them"_

I instantly remembered that dream I had; the dream during my kidnapping. My dream-mom warned me about Slenderman to not trust or believe: she made me promised. But here I am, going against my promise to her. I - We... were supposed escape with any chance that we can take. But what was I supposed to do afterwards? I could have done many things, but they would all be dead ends and become bad. I hate promises! This is one of the reasons why, because I might break them.

Wait, does mom know? Does she know I've been captured and taken away by these psychopaths? She must have known. She wouldn't have appeared in my dreams at a miraculous time. Unless it was my subconscious telling myself, preparing myself for these things.

I flinched when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around, seeing Bloody Painter. He knew. He knew that I knew now. That's why he was keen in coming with me: he didn't want me to find out. Or anyone else to recognise me from the tv. I saw his face was worried for me. I frowned at me with an unhappy expression.

"You knew?" I came off as rude and sounded unease, but what I was merely stating was my shock and sadness for what people really assumed.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. We didn't want you to find out until later," Bloody Painter responded. He bit the bottom of his lip, knowing he had done a terrible thing.

"For how long was Slenderman going to keep me in the dark about this? When were you and the others going to tell me?" I plead. I desperately wanted to know; were they just not going to bring it up, at all? I hadn't thought about the officer after that fatal night, I thought he would still be alive, somehow and managed to stay breathing. How could I let this happen? An innocent person's life was brutally murdered, because of me. 

Bloody Painter was silent, he was trying to break the silence but didn't know how to put it in words. He opened his mouth but nothing came out except for one word which had no meaning to the rest; he was stuttering.

"Huh?" This time, my voice was stern. I may have been demanding, but perhaps this is what I should have done in the first place. I shouldn't waited for answer to just come by, I should have demanded, forced them the truth. I could still do it. I could let Amber take control of me and deal with Bloody Painter. I could beat the crap out of him and escape. Go to the police and tell them all about my kidnapping and Slenderman, his proxies and the mansion. I could prove my innocence and tell them the location of the house in the woods. 

...

No. I won't. These dark thoughts are starting to take hold of my judgment. I should know better and stay calm. But, I can't help but wonder what would happen if those things were to take action. If I let Amber murder them in cold blood. Would I feel any better than I am now? 

He blinked in surprised, yet my voice was assertive enough for him to tell me, "After you had really shown your loyalty to Slenderman. It wasn't officially decided when he'd tell you, but somewhere across the lines of if you were completely on our side. If you wouldn't escape one night or if you didn't attack any of us, he would be convince. But right now, Slenderman wasn't certain about his decision."

Shown loyalty? To him? Was I going insane? Slenderman wanted me to be one of his stupid proxies? What exactly were his plans for me? 

I looked at him, in disbelief. In distraught and in utter sadness. I couldn't blame Bloody Painter for not doing as he was told. I was just upset, Slenderman didn't tell me. I thought Slenderman told me everything when he was interrogating me in the dining room. He lied to me.

"Let's go back. I've lost my appetite. I can't..." I lowered my voice even more than my whispering voice. Me and Bloody Painter were both whispering in the gas station so that the staff members wouldn't hear. There were no more cars outside, besides ours, so I thought no one else was inside the store. I couldn't look at him anymore, I just stared behind him. And when I walked away, I didn't give a glance to Bloody Painter.

I walked past Bloody Painter and went outside. I walked with my head down, looking at the road and stepped back inside the car. I slammed the door shut and leaned my head on the window. I sat behind Eyeless Jack and I could tell he knew. I had left Bloody Painter behind in the gas station in such a way that made me suspicious.

"You found out," Eyeless Jack wasn't asking, he was stating. I continued to stare out of the window, viewing the cars that past by on the main road. I knew he had turned behind to look at me, but I couldn't care less. Did I really feel like I was betrayed by the worst creature to have ever existed? Betrayed? Why did I feel so upset? I shouldn't have the need to care.

"I don't want to speak of it, Jack," I said. He looked at me before turning back to his normal position. 

"I understand," Was all he said.

However, in mere seconds later of me sitting inside the car with Eyeless Jack, the sound of an alarm came off from outside the car. I jolted to my senses and looked to the source of the noise. It came from the entrance of the store, and standing there was Bloody Painter. He had triggered the security alarms from the sides of the entrance. They were flashing red and making such a loud sound. What was he doing?

"What the hell?" I could Eyeless Jack mutter. I could see Eyeless Jack was also alerted by the noise. Yet, he and I remained in the car. We were already in enough trouble from the police and perhaps the military forces, but it was mainly him. Eyeless Jack was supposed to be a fictional character for teenagers to be afraid or laugh at the ridiculous hypocrisy, but no, he is well real and ready to kill anyone. 

We both heard a staff member calling out at Bloody Painter, in which he made a mad dash outside and straight towards the car. The staff was slow, which gave the advantage to Bloody Painter. He flung the car door open and slammed it shut. He didn't bother to put on his seatbelt and just initiated the car engine to start.

"Painter, what the hell happened in there?" Eyeless Jack looked at him, but Bloody Painter didn't hesitate a look at him. He started the car, and drove the car in reverse, the staff almost reaching the car. 

**• Ruby, look at his lap •**

I looked from him and saw that he had two large plastics bags. I could easily see what was inside: snacks. Snacks of all kind, chips, chocolate, candies, every junk food I could name. In the other bag, they contained drinks. Water, soda, juice and even some alcoholic drinks. How did Bloody Painter managed to get a hold of the alcohol? They were off limits unless you asked and had an id. 

He suddenly break and turned the knob in the middle. I saw he shifted it into the normal gear and accelerated in full engine. The car moved and was going to hit the staff. The staff saw this and stopped dead in his tracks and immediately backed away. Both me and Eyeless Jack were screaming at Bloody Painter's name over to stop. Both our voices and increased in pitch and dynamic, every millisecond the car inched faster towards the staff man. At the last second, we could see the man jumped out of the way before fatally getting hit by the car. Bloody Painter continued to drive and exit out and away from the gas station as quick as he could. 

The adrenaline had run through my body as my heart kept on beating fast. The entire time, I imagined the man's death by a car accident, not even for a split second, did I think he would survive. I looked back to the gas station but couldn't see the man nor the station itself, anymore.

"What the fuck, Painter?! Was that necessary?!" Eyeless Jack exclaimed in the car. I hadn't heard Eyeless Jack raise his voice at anyone, until now, which surprised me. Out of everyone, I hadn't considered Eyeless Jack to think upon other people's action. He may be quiet than the rest of the group, but he certainly had a loud voice.

"Yes, it most certainly was necessary. Although, I wished he had stayed put so that I could see him suffer. I wished he bled so that I would have more samples for my art collection," He said with such a calm voice. 

"Art... collection?" I repeated to him.

"I use blood as paint to make my art and sell it. Or keep it as treasure for my needs," Bloody Painter said. He said it as bluntly yet brief as possible. So that why he was a psychopath, he adored the blood like he adored painting. 

**• It is said in his name, Ruby •**

Oh, right. 

"O-Oh," I said, "That's nice." Of course I was lying. But I didn't want to make this weird situation more weird.

"What if Slenderman finds out about this?!" Eyeless Jack continued on his anger on him. I watched from the back seat as Eyeless Jack was throwing a fit at Bloody Painter. This was so out of character for Eyeless Jack to act this way. I wouldn't have imagined in my life that Eyeless Jack would ever shout at someone, on purpose, no doubt.

"He will not, Jack. Slenderman will overlook this issue and just think it's another druggie who committed this," Bloody Painter said, "Out of all people, I would have thought you would want him dead. Not to be rude, but I can see your bag is empty."

I looked back at Eyeless Jack to see him flinch. What did he mean? His bag was empty? Was there something inside the bag that belonged to that man? It didn't seem that Eyeless Jack knew of the gas station man. 

"Our desires have no concern right now. How do you know Slenderman won't overlook this?" Eyeless Jack began once again.

"I don't. Just," Bloody Painter waved his right hand in the air, "Shut up about Slenderman, for once? Whether or not he hears about this, it won't involve Ruby as she has been seen as missing. The news won't mention about her."

"Are you sure? I didn't get a look at the man at the station but I'm sure he saw you and I," I stated.

"No, I'm quite positive. I made sure he hadn't taken full notice of you," He sounded so sure of himself, that almost made me believe him. Almost. I sat back on my seat and slouched and looked up at the car roof. The car was going at a steady speed of fifty to sixty miles per hour on the main road.

"Where are we going?" I heard Eyeless Jack ask. Were we not going back to the mansion? Was this not the way back? I sat up and straightened my back and gave my attention back to the two men. We were driving near one of the hospitals and the park.

"I'm going to park the car somewhere so we can have some time to eat and drink, before going back to the mansion," Bloody Painter said. I stayed quiet, recollecting my thoughts and looked at the left window.

The car was silent, no music was being played and the only sound we could hear, was the car engine screaming its rage continuously, as cars past by us. Everyone had retreated into their minds and dazed off. I could tell, I saw Eyeless Jack just mindlessly looking down, fiddling with his fingers. Bloody Painter was focused on the road, but something told me he was also in the mist of thinking.

**• Why do you think Bloody Painter did that? Commit a small crime for you? •**

"Hm, I don't know. It did make me forget about my worries and reality for a little while. Just for a little. I was really worried about that whole ordeal than to not speak to Bloody Painter," I told Amber. 

**• But, I do not understand. What reasons does he get in return besides from snacks and pleasures from you and Eyeless Jack? •**

I could tell Amber didn't understand the minds of modern society. Or perhaps she doesn't get how psychos think. Either way, it made me smile a little. 

"I guess that's just it. The benefit for him is the sensation for seeing us smile or just forgetting reality for a minute." I wasn't sure about my answer. But what could I say? Me and Bloody Painter didn't know each other well, but he has already shown to care about others than himself. At least, he shows his kindness and care for me. Like a friend would.

"Could I ask? What's in your bag, Jack?" I asked, breaking the silence.

I could hear him breathe heavily, "The bag contains the organs of several humans. It's what I consume as a nutrition and food for me, instead of what you humans eat like chips or chocolate."

"Really? You can't eat anything else, besides the blood and tissue that make up... us?" I asked. Speaking about absurd digestions makes me feel quite uncomfortable. Yet... it does raise my suspicions about him. Is Eyeless jack a cannibal? No, that can't be. He has the body of a mortal human, but his skin says otherwise. And I've seen his attack and defence; it's unlike anything I've seen from anyone. Unless he is a very powerful person, I doubt he is human.

"No, however I only eat kidneys. After I kill my victim, I cut open their stomach and take their kidney. I preserve it for later, but I like to eat it while it's fresh. Sometimes, I take out the heart and crush it. But that depends if I am in the mood to," Eyeless Jack explained.

Never have I ever heard someone talk about the precision of eating, with kidneys no less. It's insane to have a conversation about digesting kidneys as if it was such a normality to him. Of course for me, I don't eat kidneys so I can't relate. 

I took a few moments to take in what I heard from Eyeless Jack's mouth. 

"Damn," I loudly whispered, however what I said afterwards left me surprised, "Maybe we should have taken the man from the gas station and take his kidneys. Seems like Jack really needs one."

It wasn't until a few seconds later, did I realise what I said, which shocked me. I can't believe that sentence came out of my mouth. I think Liu's crazy mind has been rubbing off on me. All the weird times about how he enjoys killing his 'victims' and hearing their screams. Now I know, living with them has changed me yet I'm uncertain if it's a good or bad thing.

It didn't take long for the awkward silence to be broken by laughs coming from Eyeless Jack, himself. Thank the stars that I didn't get murdered in this car. I was for sure thinking it would be offensive. I sighed in relief.

"That's not bad, Ruby," Bloody Painter said, smiling. Although it was a bit difficult for me to see, the back of his teeth was shining through the dark. 

"To be honest, we should have taken him. That would have been fair for everyone," Eyeless Jack added. I finally got to hear the both smile and laugh at my accidental attempt to respond to Eyeless Jack.

"Sucks for him though," I input.

**• Congratulations, Ruby. I mean it. That caught me off guard •**

"Why, thank you Amber."

We finally stopped to eat. Well almost everyone was eating. We sat outside in an empty parking lot. It was by the side of the main road, and although it could easily be access by anyone driving by, no one was out. So we took the opportunity to sit on the roof of the car and enjoy the night. The parking lot was by the forest, however it wasn't the one that surrounded Slenderman's mansion. And above us, the night sky was visible for us to see from the roof. We sat there, me and Bloody Painter munching the food into our digestion. Eyeless Jack was gone for a while in the forest. He had to relieve himself.

Whilst Eyeless Jack was busy doing his own business, me and Bloody Painter were enjoying the chips. I was eating some Doritos whilst he basked into the Pringles, original flavour, might I add. As I was eating, I started to wonder about Bloody Painter's life. How could a man like him become such a psychopath in the eyes of society? Despite in his weird hobby to use blood for decoration objects, I couldn't understand the nature of him. I started to eat less of my chips and start to wonder more about him.

I looked at him, he was quietly eating his as he watched the main road, for any cars to come by. He seemed focus, only that made my curiosity grow. I put my chip bag aside me and dusked the leftover chip dust on my fingers. I repositioned myself on the car, trying to make myself comfortable but also try not to sound the alarm from the car.

"Painter?" I brought his name up. He didn't look back at me, instead he simply hummed a note. It meant Bloody Painter had heard me. I could still hear him crunching on the chips.

"Is it too much to ask about you... and your life?" I added.

At that point, I couldn't hear him eat. The crunching noises had stopped, and his jaw was halt in motion.

"It just came to my mind that, out of everyone in the mansion, you seem to be... one of the collected people. If we count Eyeless Jack and Slenderman, from what I know so far. I-I understand if you don't feel comfortable in answering my question. We can forget I asked and not mention this to anyone," I said. I took one of the juice pack and sip from it. I tasted the sugary orange and pineapple and filled the insides of my mouth. I looked away to the forest and focused there.

"I don't mind, speaking of my life." I suddenly looked at him. He was staring back at me, however his body was still faced away from me.

"I expect your fighting performance to be outstanding when I can recover from my wound," He added. He turned to face me and crossed his legs.

I was astounded; to the people I have asked, he is the first to agree to answer my question. You could count Shadow, but he had taken a few hours to finally agree. 

"Oh, alright," I said. I put the juice on the hood of the car and swallowed the remains inside my mouth through my throat.

"We could start off from the beginning, perhaps?" I asked.

He nodded, "I had an alright childhood, nothing special. I was an only child to my father and mother. They treated me like any parent would to their child, yet I was very quiet throughout my life. Although we were not wealthy, my parents could provide the necessities. I went to a normal public school... I focused on myself yet," He slightly paused, giving the effect to make it sound realistic; I remembered back in school, "I never made friends. Then, high school came around... I was accused of theft for a student's watch. Like many of the residents, like Lulu and Jeff, I was too bullied. Through all of this... I somehow made a friend. Tom, was his name. He and I would spend our days together, although we were complete opposites, we got along. But it didn't last long," His voice lowered.

"I find out from a student that Tom was the one who had condemned me of stealing the watch. It didn't go so well after that. I had brought it up to him on the roof and we started to cause a scene. To my dismay, Tom fell backwards and tripped on the edge, causing him to fall. I grabbed him before he falling off, but..." He looked down, beside me to the road. He blinked, "He let go... I don't know what he was thinking, but after that... He died. His body had fallen fourteen feet off the air and landed on the school platforms." I could tell he didn't want to say anymore. It pained Bloody Painter to remember the memories. Unlike Lulu, it isn't easy for him to forgive and forget the past. His first ever friend, was merely just a fake.

He looked at me with his blue eyes. Something about his blue eyes were intimidating, but I could see the struggles he faced. He was just an ordinary boy with an ordinary life before his friend flew off the school roof.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. I wouldn't have imagine your life becoming to this." I didn't smile, I just looked into his eyes.

He sighed, "It's alright. No one had seen it coming." But I guess there is something about Bloody Painter that made him move on from the past. If he was a normal person, he would break down a cry. Shed a tear for his lost ones. But he doesn't, because some part of him has moved on from that horrifying experience.

"After Tom's death, it was Halloween. My school had hosted a party for all students to come. So I did... A few hours before the party, I had made a mask for myself to wear. I felt accomplished and decided to take an hours rest before the party. However, when I woke up, I was in a different room. There was a man in that room and he had explained to me that I was in a psychiatric hospital. The man was my doctor, and he had explained me why I was there. That night at the party, seventeen students had been murdered and five were wounded. I had been there, too. They said I had killed them. But... I don't remember ever doing those things... To this day, I will never know."

There wasn't any tension between me and Bloody Painter. There was just silence; and it was nice. I could feel comfortable in this atmosphere. Because I could finally understand Bloody Painter: he was just a broken man, walking down the wrong path with the wrong fate. Although, he is capable of killing and committing crimes, now, it doesn't mean he isn't capable of changing his ways, right? He can feel remorse and guilt for others, so why can't he change? Is it because of Slenderman? Is it because of his proxies? Jeff? Eyeless Jack? Lulu? Jane? Is he just afraid of dying like everyone human being on this planet rock? Or is he putting up an act? The feeling of someone's death is just a play he puts up? Is killing and murdering people for his own satisfactory the real reason?

Now I'm unsure of Bloody Painter. Is he really a good person that had somehow gotten into the wrong doings? Or this normality of his just some game to him? Waiting for his prey to captured in the trap?

We heard the rustling of the bushes behind me, and the footsteps of a person emerging. We were both caught by the sound and immediately turned to the forest. Out came Eyeless Jack through the darkness. He had surely took his time in the forest. 

Eyeless Jack's hoodie was stained with a dark red colour. It was smothered mainly through the centre, some dripped on the ends of his sleeves. There was also a little on the side of his mask, which made it look like an art piece from a gallery. Both of his hands were occupied in carrying two objects. On one hand, he held a bright knife, tinged the same dark red, however it looked fresh. The dark red blood was dripping very slowly to the floor, indicating that it was while ago that Eyeless Jack had used it. On his other hand, he held a small piece of object. It was almost pink, it could be combined with red. However, I could tell what he was holding, just by looking at his bloody knife and stained hoodie.

Eyeless Jack walked to the front of the car where me and Bloody Painter were sitting on the hood of the car. I wasn't sure about Bloody Painter, but I was definitely sure that I was confused about how he was able to find a person in the middle of the woods. During this time of the evening, might I add.

"A person had made a tent in the forest," He waved the kidney in his hand, and the knife was still in the other. That made sense; some people like to go into the forest for the camping feeling. I was surprised that person was alone.

"Is it... good?" I asked. He nodded, putting his hand down. Now that I think about it, I have never seen his face.

"Are you both done? It's almost twelve thirty and we still need to get back to the mansion," Eyeless Jack clarified. I looked at Bloody Painter and he looked at me. We both nodded, suggesting that we're both done. We packed up the remaining snacks and drinks into one bag and threw away the leftovers in a nearby trash. Once we arrived back to the mansion, I was going to leave the snacks inside my room, so that Slenderman wouldn't find them in the kitchen.

**• You should rest. You have another long day tomorrow. Or rather, later at the more appropriate time •**

"That's a good idea... If I don't wake up on time, I give you permission to use my body."

**• Really? Why? •**

"I don't want my body unattended. Although they seem alright and I have gotten to know them a little bit more, I don't fully trust them. I just want you to listen in on they'll do as I'm asleep. Do what you can to get any information on Eyeless Jack or Bloody Painter. But do not show your demonic form. I don't want them to start fighting you again like the night before."

• **Alright, I will make sure nothing happens to you. You can have your rest now •**

"Thanks, Amber... You're a good friend."

**• Sweet dreams, Ruby •**


	16. The enemy

_I remembered drifting off to sleep in the car. But I don't remember the feeling of the car stopping. Then been dragged out the car and into a field of wheat, or what it seems to be wheat. The field was familiar but I couldn't remember where I had seen it._

_I laid very still on the ground, my head pressed down on the rich soil smell. I opened and closed and opened my eyes, taking in the situation very slow. I looked around before getting up, trying to see anything else in my sight of view. Besides from the tall wheat grass, the sky was all I could see. The soft, cotton clouds were darkened and droopy, as if it was ready to rain: but it never did. I rolled from my stomach to my back, carefully yet contently gazing at the clouds. I didn't bother to sit up yet, there was something so intriguing yet mesmerising to look at._

_"Darling..."_

_Hearing that voice, I instantly sat up. I was alert by the sweet gentle voice of a woman's voice. Although I was sitting up, I couldn't see much - the colossal wheat grass had towered over my sight. So I cautiously got up. Over the wheat grass, a woman stood in the middle of it all, like a queen leading an army to battle. To Ruby, she was far away: a dot standing with the wheat and the barn in the background. But the dot grew more; it extended into a stick with swaying arms and short sinuous hair-locks. Before Ruby knew, the dot had enlarged into a full body with humanoid features._

_"There you are, darling." I couldn't believe it. I thought I might have been seeing things in my dreams, but I wasn't. I had dreamt of my mom the day I was taken. I'm dreaming of her again. Was it a coincidence that I was dreaming of her again just days after?_

_"I've been here before. I've dreamt about this," I muttered under my breath, continuing to stare at my mom in disbelief. "B-But it's different."_

_Mom raised an eyebrow, "I'm surprised you believe our last discussion was just a mere dream. Our last conversation may have been a dream but you also made a promise to me."_

_"Yes, I remember it. I can assure you mom, I'm keeping my guard up and not trusting anyone. Although I'm trying to gain their trust so I can understand what's going on," I tell her. She sighs and smiles at me. However, she seems worried too._

_"C'mon, let's sit down," she gestures me to follow behind her. "There's a little picnic blanket not far from here." Before she could take a few steps away from me, I caught her wrist. I had a few curious questions which have been bothering me ever since our previous talk. She looked back at me without saying a word but she wasn't smiling anymore._

_"Mom? I need to know some things about you. I need to know if you're alright, where you are and when are you coming back? Slenderman gave me some information saying that you had left the country to Europe on your business trip. But I don't think you've left the country," my mom's eyes dilated slightly, but it was clear to see._

_"Darling, let's sit down about this before anything is spoken. Please," she pleaded. I clenched my jaw but I caved in. I nodded at her and followed her to the blanket._

_"To answer your previous questions," she said as we both sat down on the ground. "I have left the country and I'm currently in the UK. That night you were taken by Slenderman, I could sense a soul that worked under him. I presumed that he had sent one of his proxies to take me as well."_

_Someone had been sent to capture mom too? I hadn't anticipated the thought of Slenderman ordering one of them to also take mom. She was the previous Guardian Mother, so it would make sense that 'he' would want mom. But for what reason?_

_"Do you know who took you?" I asked._

_"As I can recall, the soul was a woman. She wore all black so I couldn't see her face. But I saw a glimpse of her face. It was pale with abnormal black eyes, almost like they were painted and unreal," mom described her. There are only two women that works under Slenderman, that I know and that's Lulu and Jane._

_"But because I was in a crowded place, the woman couldn't take me in plain sight. For good measure, I had went to the airport's security about her. So I had escaped on the plane and I don't believe she had gotten on the plane," mom added._

_She could be right. If it really was Jane, it's impossible that she was able to travel to the UK and back in such a short amount of time. I believe Mom is telling the truth and that she is safe._

_"Ruby, I know you're worried about me because of the current situation. But I'm more concerned about you. You were kidnapped and cannot escape under your own freedom and will. You are surrounded by psychopaths that might cause harm or kill you at any second of the day. You are in more jeopardy than I am. I need to know if you're doing what I've told you to do. I need to know that when you get the opportunity to escape, you take it. You go to the cops and tell them everything about Slenderman." Her voice almost yelled._

_"Mom, you don't understand," I sighed in vanquish, "I tried that before."_

_Mom looked at me in odd. As if I was the weird elephant in the room. She hadn't expected my answer, "what do you mean you tried before? Did you... know?"_

_I nodded my head, "It's complicated to explain but to summarise, I had a bad feeling about this person who walked past me when I was with Erisa and Zach. So I had called 911 and they sent a policeman to my house to protect me. It didn't end well as you can tell," I paused, preparing myself to say the next thing. "They killed the policeman."_

_I studied mom's movement: she blinked multiple times and straightened her back more. I could tell that she was shocked but a small part of me considered that she had expected it to happen._

_"I'm sorry, Ruby. I hoped you would never have to experience this ever in my life." She said._

_"Why did you never tell me about you? About the Guardian Mother? Our family is the reason monsters exists in this world. Am I right? Why did you keep this a secret?" I nudged with questions that had bottled me up after Slenderman told me. "Was I not worth enough for you to tell me? I already know that Jeff and Liu are serial killers, so I don't understand why you-"_

_"Because I was scared!" My mom snapped._

_It was quiet. From the corner of my eye, I saw that she had clenched her hands onto the side of her jeans. Her eyes were crazy but only for short time. But she was also shaking; her mouth quivered and she was blinking uncontrollably. I had pushed her with all my questions that I didn't consider the fact that she might be stressed of it and perhaps me. She was once in this nightmare, no matter of the different proxies. She still suffered the burden of being the Guardian Mother._

_"I was... scared that you might not believe me. I was scared," she took a pause and continued again. "That you would think I was this maniac with this stupid supernatural belief. The thought of losing you haunted my decisions to tell you. But I was also frightened once you knew."_

_"Once I knew?" I repeated her words._

_"You see, being a Guardian Mother isn't the type of life no one wants. You live off the fear of others. You're responsible for creatures that have terrifying capabilities unlike any mortal being. Not only that but you go through their nightmares and their pains. You live through everything you don't want to happen. I didn't want you to live that life. Living a life that didn't make you happy or a life that was filled with regrets and burdens." She explained._

_I don't know what to say. I was shocked, surprised but mostly relieved. I was relieved my mom finally told me. "I'm sorry I pressured you. I didn't know you had to go through that. I can understand now." I smiled with a little bit more confidence that I know the struggles of being a Guardian Mother. At the same time, I feel a bit more prepared to become the Guardian Mother._

_My mom slowly let go of her jeans, growing a little smile under her mouth, "it's alright. I acted like this before when your grandmother first told me about the Guardian Mother." She placed her hands together and shifted her sitting position. "But back to what I asked, what else has happened?"_

_I told her everything I knew. From the scars and marks that were appearing on everyone from the mansion that were the exact same as mine to the recent news I saw at the grocery store. I explained of Milo and the entity, Shadow. My mom was quite shocked of both Shadow and Milo. Mom hadn't expected Milo to still be alive as it was over two decades ago that she had last seen him. Not to mention that Slenderman hadn't followed her wishes._

_"Our time is almost over," my mom said abruptly. It felt like I've been in this dream for only an hour, but I know that it's not true in reality. I scooted closer to mom and gave her a huge hug. I could feel mom's arms wrapped around me, not long after._

_"Stay safe, please." My mom then added, "and remember what we promised, okay?"_

_"Yeah, I won't forget."_

_I held her tighter, before slowing feeling myself being pulled away. Away from the dream, away from the farm, away from mom. It felt like my body was being dragged while I was still holding mom. But no matter how tight I held onto her, it seemed as though she was slipping away._

Before I knew it, I was back lying, face up on my bed.

I sat up on my bed, recapping what I had just dreamt of. I closed my eyes, visualising everyone I remember from it. I had to remember what me and my mother talked about otherwise I would get side-tracked with all that's happening here.

I turned to the side of my bed, seeing that there was a plastic bag on top of my side table. I recognised it to be the same plastic bag from last night. How long did I sleep for? One of them must have carried me to my room. I hope I didn't cause them so much work as they sneaked back inside the mansion. I checked the insides of the plastic bag to see that there was still chips and other snacks inside, including some opened ones. I wrapped the plastic bag handles into a double knot and got up from my bed, leaving it messy. I reminded myself to clean my bed later, after I cleaned myself up. I placed the plastic bag inside my closet, inside the first drawer and behind my clothes. Luckily there wasn't any opened drinks that could leak.

After I cleaned myself up, I changed into clothes that I could easily wear after breakfast for training. I slipped into a black loose jogging pants and wore a dark red cropped top. I was uncomfortable wearing a crop top but it was better than wearing long shirts in my opinion. Plus, it only showed a small bit of my stomach so I wasn't afraid to show some skin.

**• Good morning, Ruby. Did you have a good sleep? •**

Amber spoke to me in a soothing voice. It seemed to be more calm than the last few days we've known each other for. 

"Good morning, Amber. I slept well, thank you," I replied back to her. 

**• Can Shadow hears us from where you are standing? I need to tell you something and it is urgent that you know •**

I looked back at the wall like Shadow was there. Shadow has been awfully quiet since I woke up, so perhaps he couldn't hear my thoughts from where I was standing. I stood in front of the desk and the window which was on the far side of the room, in the corner. I was deciding to sit on the chair but Amber's voice prevented me from that.

"I don't think he can," I looked through the small window, looking out at the forest and the roof tiles.

Then an idea popped into my head. At the side of my window, there was the lock on the window to stop it from opening. My hips leaning on the side of the desk, I pushed the lock down - the lock turning green - giving me access to open the window. With both hands, I slid the window to the left, letting the brisk cold air into my room.

**• What are you doing, Ruby? •**

"You'll see," instead of thinking of it, I whispered out loud. There wasn't much on the desk, besides a few papers and pen. I placed them to the side of the table and climbed on top of the desk. I balanced myself like last time, only noticing how unlevelled the desk was on the floor. Although it did make sound noise, it wasn't enough to alert anyone to my room. I slip through in my crouch position so I could fit through the window, leaving it open. Once I was out, I stood up properly, letting my damp hair flow in the wind. I walked to the edge of the roof and carefully sat down on the roof tile, positioning myself safely but also comfortable.

"You see what I mean?" I asked her. 

**• Alright. I understand •**

"So what is this urgent thing you need to tell me?" I placed my hands behind my body, admiring the light grey sky, clouds slowly passing by or just appearing from beyond the forest. My legs swayed back and forth, dangling away and not letting them hit the walls.

**• Last night or early morning, after you feel asleep, I gathered some information from Eyeless Jack and Bloody Painter •**

"What kind of information did you find?" I asked, but this time I reverted to thinking.

**• It seems as though Slenderman has an enemy. Once we arrived back in the forest, Eyeless Jack and Bloody Painter were talking about the enemy •**

An enemy? Slenderman has an enemy? Well, I shouldn't be surprised since he is a monster. Anyone who is good is technically an enemy to him. 

"Who is this enemy?" I asked her.

**• The enemy is a what, not a who. But nonetheless, Eyeless Jack or Bloody Painter never described their enemy. But it seems as though its name strikes fear on them •**

"So there is something more scary than them and Slenderman. Was there anything they said that was questioning or should be of concern." I looked down towards the grass, just before it entered the forest.

**• They spoke of many idiosyncratic things about the enemy. It goes by the name Zalgo. It is an entity that is able to manipulative the minds of anyone it desires and has the power to warp the very reality to however it likes. Eyeless Jack and Bloody Painter were discussing that it is attacking several states. By that, they mean that there seems to be monsters appearing from around United States, such as Michigan. From what Slenderman has told them, they believe it is the work of Zalgo •**

"You got that all from last night?" I replied, "I'm impressed. As of Zalgo, it seems as though this entity isn't anything good." I dragged my body away from the edge as I crossed my legs. I messed the bottom of my hair, trying to untangle the locks in the insides.

"But for some weird feeling, the name Zalgo sounds familiar. But I don't know where I heard it from," I told her.

**• I remember hearing the name as well. I think one of the proxies had said the name as an accident. But it's most likely that you heard this from your mother •**

"My mom?" I blinked, "oh right. She was the previous Guardian Mother so perhaps she accidentally said it or I heard it in a conversation. Regardless, what is Zalgo's intentions? Did they ever speak of them?"

**• No. However, they did talk about you. From their words, Slenderman believes that you will be able to defeat Zalgo •**

"Wait, Slenderman wants me to kill Zalgo?" I repeated her words just to make sure I was hearing her correctly.

**• Indeed. Bloody Painter believes that you are not capable of beating a powerful entity as it has lived for over two centuries, possibly more. And I agree with him. I apologise for my saying, but it is true. An entity that has lived for that long has the power capacity of more than the human humanity has existed. You have barely started training and I do not believe that you are able to learn everything in over a month or two •**

As much as those words seemed to be overpower me, it was true. If Zalgo really is what they say, then I wouldn't be able to challenge against it. I wouldn't do any damage nor would my existence in the next month or two would make a difference to Zalgo. So what chance does Slenderman think I have in defeating him? I don't even believe in myself that I could beat an entity. Slenderman has a better chance than me at all other levels.

"Why should this matter to me? I'm doing what Slenderman wants me to do and that's fighting a war I wish no part in," I argue.

**• Ruby, this is something that is bigger than just you escaping out of this mansion. Something that is bigger than you, bigger than any of these residence, bigger than Slenderman. You may not want to be a part of this war, but you need to be, for the sake of all earth and humanity. If Zalgo wanted to, it could wipe the entire universe in just mere minutes •**

Zalgo could do that? With that kind of power, it can kill everyone. Zalgo can destroy civilisation, destroy modern infrastructures, facilities and primeval ruins and ancient landmarks. It can murder animals without any hesitation or conscience of their welfare. It can kill families. Zalgo could my friends: Zach and Erisa; my mom. That _monster_ could kill Liu.

"Alright, you have my attention. I guess I can't escape from this. My ancestors made the creature. So what can I do?" I sighed, slouching my back, "like you said, I'm only one person and I wouldn't be making any much of a difference. What do I have that could take down a two thousand year old entity?" I repositioned my legs so that they were in front of me, bended towards my chest. I placed my arms behind me again so I could look up at the sky. 

**• You do not have anything on you that is of worth. However, you are something that could stop Zalgo. And that is the title. You are the Guardian Mother. I believe that through a lot of hard-work discipline and patience, you could take down Zalgo. I do not imagine that in one month, that you will be fully prepared because you need more preparation, more experience, more developed skills. Perhaps that will take over a year •**

...

"I don't know what to say, Amber," I thought. "Do you really believe I could do it?"

**• Indeed. I can not believe I am about to say this, but Slenderman is your greatest possibility in stopping Zalgo on whatever its plan is. Slenderman has the people to help train and guide you through this. While I can help you learn how to use your magic •**

"Magic?" I blinked multiple times. "I-I have magic?" This time, I spoke out as I was surprised. My tone wasn't loud or high pitched. My tone was quite moderate with a hint of surprise. Amber's chuckle echoed through my ears.

**• Yes. I can sense that you have the potential in possessing magic fragments as well as the transformation of a specific morph and wielding a powerful weapon. Yet, you have not accumulated them. It is evident that you have not been able to obtain these things but that can soon change •**

"I... I am able to summon magic? I can change my appearance?" I was going completely crazy and Amber could tell. I hadn't known I had the ability to have magic. What kind of magic is it? And if I can transform my body, what is it? How do I unlock these? Will it take long? How long? Can I start now?

**• Ruby, calm down? In due time, you will have these things. The only thing we need to do is find out how to free them for your benefits •**

But by that time, I wasn't listening to what Amber was saying. Excitedly, I hopped up and put my arms in the air with my hands wrapped into a fist.

"WOOHOO, I have magic!" I screamed aloud.

**• Ruby! Be quiet. Do not raise your voice otherwise you will be caught and become suspicious of your wellbeing •**

"Oh, sorry. I'm just so excited." All of a sudden, it was like I had so much energy that I hadn't had in the past five days. I felt so productive, I wanted to do a dance. Yet I held myself for account and sat back down but with a big smile on my face.

**• Like I was saying, your best option right now is to stay with Slenderman. It was not like we were going anywhere anytime. My advice for you is that you should learn as much as you can that is useful to you. That could be fighting skills, practicing magic or even knowledge of your family. Knowing more of your bloodline and your mother about the Guardian Mother allows you to perform better in combat and with relationships •**

"I guess my mission has now expanded further on," I admitted. "Let's just hope I can accomplish this mission."

We were both quiet, but it was alright. We had some time to ourselves in our thoughts, even though Amber can read my mind. We both needed some time to let the information we both shared with each other sink in. There was no noise outside, except for one. The only noise was the calm howling wind, coming from the east. It blew onto my left ear, creating some kind of whistling howl.

**• Ruby? •**

Amber has never used my name in a question.

**• What do you wish to do after you are done with Slenderman and... this 'mission'? •**

I could tell Amber was concerned about the mission. Nevertheless, I ignored the pause in her sentence.

"Well, I devised a plan back in high school in what I dreamed of doing when I grew older and after University. Back in middle school, I fell head over heels with books of all kinds. But I loved reading about the supernaturals and unearthly beings. I was really into mystery and sci-fi books and I still am. But nowadays, I like to read the classics. I didn't realise my passion for writing and reading books until my second year of high school. From then on, I dreamed of becoming an author one day. I always have these scenarios in my head that I like to envision. Those need to be recorded on paper so I can develop and hopefully get it printed. I've been living on the stepping stones of my plan and I'm almost there. I have one more year and then I finished University. But..." I stopped talking. Amber knew what I was about to say so it wasn't necessary for me to speak out loud.

The fact that the situation I'm currently in might take longer than expected. Amber even said it herself, that it might take a whole year, maybe even another year, to completely be done with this... bullshit. It's been bogging my mind for the past couple of days. Perhaps it's the thought that I spent half of my life preparing for the dream life I could never have in the end. It's just washed away because of my family. Was this what **_mom_** had to go through? Was this the struggles she had to face before? The constant need for a supervisor? Did... mom have to sacrifice her life just so that she could live for Slenderman and the creatures she and our family have created? Was that the reason my father wasn't around? He left mom with me and never turned back? Could mom handle two lives at once, or was it too much for her? Was that why my father leave her? Did he ever leave her? Agh, I have so many questions about my parents and I can't seemed to figure it out. Why - Why? Why did my life have to turn so complicated?

**• It is not your fault for the outcomes to become this. Sometimes in life, we do not get the luxury in living our dreams or our plans. Life chooses for us. That is why we have to stay strong and keep being persistent. I am terribly sorry these circumstances had to happen to you, I truly am. But you cannot travel back to the past to prevent this. All you can do now is live the way you want now and in the future. You need to fight for the future you desire and not let some old man decide for himself •**

I started giggling very softly. Through her talking, I was beginning to cry. I was tearing up and I didn't let any of the tears stream down my face. I sniffed and with my left arm, I dried my eyes blinking a few times afterwards.

"You sound so corny," I smiled with a silly laugh, continuing to blink numerous times.

"I wish you were physically here in front of me. So I could hug you." Then I added, "but I'm also glad you with me mentally so I know someone is here for me."

**• I am glad to be of your services, Ruby. I can not think any different. Except, I would change this into us meeting face-to-face instead •**

"Haha, yeah," I softly said. "Thank you for cheering me a little bit."

I got up and decided to go back into my room. I briefly heard Amber say _"You are welcome"_ before entering through the window. I slid my legs and waist first into my room and then my arms being last to enter. I scooted my body on the desk attentively until I was on the edge of the wooden table. By leaning my whole weight onto my hands and arms, I jumped off the table and landed with my feet on the ground. I slid the window shut and completely locked it. Once I was finished with that, I went back to my bed. I landed with my back on the blanket, slightly jumping up and down on the bed. I laid there, staring at the ceiling, wondering what I could do now. I was certain that only a few of the residence would be awake at this time of the morning. Breakfast wouldn't begin until another hour so I had still time to spare. 

_{[[ Good morning, Ruby. You woke up quite early, considering you didn't return to your room until midnight ]]}_

Shadow. That's right, he was a Reaper. He didn't need sleep and could stay awake for all means necessary. Oh shoot, we were supposed to continue our discussion a few night ago.

"Good morning Shadow," I replied. "I'm sorry about last night. We took longer than expected."

_{[[ That's quite alright. You're a grown-up so I have no worries. But we need to continue where we left off on our previous conversation. About yesterday. ]]}_

"Right," I sighed. "Where did we leave off from our talk?" I didn't bother to move from my position so I continued to lay very still on top of my bed.

_{[[ You had asked if you could learn information about the people residing here, including me_ _and_ _Slenderman. You were also going to tell me the reason why you wanted to know ]]}_

"Right, I remember," I sighed as I managed to find the correct words to use.

"Look, I don't know how long you've been with Slenderman or how much loyalty you have for the creature. But for some reason I feel like I can confide with you, although you haven't said much about yourself. So I'm going to tell you something I have been thinking of since I got here-"

_{[[ You want to escape this mansion and from Slenderman, yes? ]]}_

I was stunned. It wasn't even a solid minute that he had replied to what I said. Furthermore, to interrupted me. But then again, I guess he had already figured to out last night. It must have not been a surprise to Shadow.

"How did you figure out?" I asked, quickly sitting up and turning to the wall behind my bed.

_{[[ I would be lying if any newcomer that arrives here decides to stay here for more than a few days. All the newbies first devise a plan to escape so I find this quite a normal behaviour from anyone. I figured quickly after you left your room yesterday ]]}_

"I see," I looked down at the blankets as I clutched the fabric firm onto my hands. "So I guess I'm not that secretive as I thought."

_{[[ That and also because I can read your mind ]]}_

I rolled my eyes, "alright, don't get too ahead of yourself there. Will you tell Slenderman?"

He hadn't responded to me after that. Well, for over a few minutes. I didn't know what to think of it: I couldn't blame him? I've never seen him roam the mansion before, so there had to be something going on between Shadow and the others. Did he no longer trust them? Or was it the other way round?

_{[[ Why should I tell Slenderman? I do not follow his rules nor do I listen to them ]]}_

"Then," I asked. "How did you get here? If you didn't agree with Slenderman's ways?"

_{[[ At one point, I did. But then some things happened that lead me to not following eye-to-eye with him and I couldn't accept them. Before I could leave, they put me in this room, chained up so I couldn't leave or do something that Slenderman didn't like. So no, I don't have any trust or loyalty towards that thing and I don't think I ever will ]]}_

I hadn't expected Slenderman to have done that Shadow. I knew it was a terrible and evil creature, but lock up one of his own proxies because they didn't accept its ways? Is Slenderman a control freak? More importantly, Shadow is locked up? That explains his whole absence around the house. They condemned him isolated with nothing and has perhaps gone insane.

"I didn't know," I said.

_{[[ Ruby, spare me all the sappy things. It's nothing really. I don't need your words about my actions before. But what we can do now is discuss the present ]]}_

"R-Right," I coughed to signify the change in subject. "What do you make of escaping the mansion?" I changed the positioning of my seat on the bed. From sitting on the edge of the wall, I moved to the centre and sat in a criss-cross spot, facing the wall. I fiddled with the blanket on my fingertips, running it smoothly in between.

_{[[ From what I've seen, it's nearly impossible to escape from Slenderman. That's because the forest we're currently in is Slenderman's territory. No surprise there ]]}_

I took a few seconds to grasp what Shadow had just spoke of. We are in Slenderman's forest? That's a thing? Since when did a forest belong to Slenderman?

"What? I didn't know that," I blinked numerous times. "But does it matter?"

_{[[ I guess you know now. It just means that Slenderman is able to freely teleport and control the perimeters of the forest. Therefore, he can control the temperature, the humidity and even time of day. All who have tried to escape the mansion will then have to deal with the forest. From what I can recall, no one has ever successfully left the area of Slenderman's forest on their own. I think you can figure out what happens once they're spotted ]]}_

"I... have an idea," I said. The thought of one of them killing an innocent person send child down my spine. Even though I knew Jeff before, I've seen and been told what he has done. 

_{[[ So, escaping the mansion requires not much, compared to the second part ]]}_

"What if I were to escape in secret?" I thought. "How much of the perimeter does Slenderman cover?" If I knew how much land Slenderman covers, perhaps I can train myself everyday by doing jogs and sprints which builds up my stamina and endurance.

_{[[ I like your thinking. Slenderman's territory has a 50 kilometre radius around the mansion. If you ran from here to the edge, it would take 2 hours, more by walking ]]}_

That's... strange. When I left last night, it didn't feel like we were walking for two or more hours. Did something happen? Wait... did Slenderman know we left the mansion? That is the only explanation: Shadow said that it's able to change the forest to its desire. So perhaps Slenderman can change the distance. If Slenderman knew we were leaving, why did he allow it?

Ugh, this is hurting my brain. There's so much happening that I can't deal with it straight.

"So if I were to flee the mansion, what would be the best time to leave?" I asked.

_{[[ That, I'm uncertain. Most certainly not during nighttime as that's when Slenderman is aware and concentrated the most. So perhaps daytime is your best option. Yet the disadvantage is that everyone is awake. If Slenderman were to order them to take you back, they would all be able to cover more ground at a very rapid pace. That's also what I'm worried about. If you happen to come in contact with them, it might result in violence ]]}_

Shadow was right. The likely of one of them catching up to me is high. Jane and Eyeless Jack are the best in hunting people down as I've seen from Jeff's memories. Dark Link and Lulu have the best tactics in making their victims become delusional or create illusions and phantasms, through their abnormal powers. Masky and Hoodie are good in trapping their victims, using their appearance to scare or deter away from the route. Bloody Painter is a wild card: he's a mystery and is insanely intelligent which makes him deadly. Jeff... I'm afraid to go up against him. He is the best combat fighter out of all of them, including Eyeless Jack. Even though Amber went up defeated Jeff, she only caught him by surprised. How much difficult will it be to fight Jeff when he is fully concentrated and focused on me? Then there's Slenderman; from Hoodie and Jeff's memories, it seems as though Slenderman can shift and reveal black, octopus-like tentacles that can penetrate anyone right through. How can I defeat any of them when I'm the Guardian Mother?

_{[[ Don't think like that. You will be able to fight as great as any of them. You just need time. You only started training yesterday so don't judge yourself yet. Do you think any of them were able to fight in just over a day? ]]}_

"I guess not," I responded.

_{[[ As of our discussion, I think we've covered a lot of key points. We should save this for another time ]]}_

"Yeah." I looked up at the clock and saw that it was half past six. I should get down now. Although there was still half an hour left, it wouldn't hurt to get my legs working. I moved to the edge of the bed and got up. I put my trainers on, taking my time to do my laces.

I was minding my business until I heard Shadow say my name. I stood up and turned back to the same wall as before, replying back to him.

_{[[ When... do you plan putting it into action? ]]}_

"Escaping? I'd say about a month of two. I'm not planning in leaving anytime soon so expect a lot of teasing from me to you." I made a joke.

_{[[ If anyones going to bully, that's going to be me. You haven't done anything of the sort towards me ]]}_

"Oh just you wait, my friend. Once you get to know, you'll wish you didn't want to mess with me." Of course I was joking. Then I heard Shadow slightly laugh. It wasn't a normal laugh, it was like a _'heh'_ sound. Which was weird, but at least I made him smile, I think.

"Alright, I better go now. See you later, Shadow." I left my room, hearing him say goodbye. I opened my door and left my room, closing the door behind me.


End file.
